Dragon Tail Z
by AntiHero627
Summary: After the battle against Cell, Gohan and Mirai Trunks find themselves in another dimension. Together they make new friends, face off against strange enemies, and learn the ways of magic and how it affects this new world all while trying to find a way back home. What new adventures await the Demi Saiyans in this world of magic?(Mirai Trunks x Mirajane) and (Gohan x Wendy)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, AntiHero here! Just want my readers to know that I'm excited to be taking over this story. This Fanfic originally belonged to Revolve X, but he put it up for adoption and I was the first to ask to adopt it. A shame though, he did a pretty good job when he started it by himself. Anyway, now that I'll be in charge of this story there's gonna be some changes, nothing too major and hopefully Revolve X will give me a few idea or pointers that will help make this fanfic better. Now it's time for Dragon Tail Z!**

 **Disclaimer- I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT or Fairy Tail**

 **Chapter 1- An Unexpected Ending**

His face still held a smile even in the moments of his death. "Good bye, my son." Those were the final words Goku said to his beloved son, who was staring at him in shock and confusion. He gave Gohan a slight wink before his face turned serious as he concentrated on teleporting the Bio Android to another planet. Cell squirmed as he realized what Goku was doing; in a few seconds, Goku and Cell suddenly disappeared from the Earth.

"Dad, come back!" cried Gohan.

"GOKU!" yelled Krillin.

All of the Z Fighters watched in shock as their second strongest member used the Instant Transmission to save the Earth. All they could sense was the rapid fading in Goku's Ki, before it faded completely.

Gohan couldn't believe it. He fell to his knees as tears started to form streams and run down his face. It was all his fault that his father died; if only he had finished Cell, his father would be here. If he didn't get too cocky, none of this would've happened. "DADDDDDDY!" screamed the Demi Saiyan.

Krillin fell to the ground, devastated. Goku was dead. He died trying to save them all. Krillin saw how Gohan was reacting. No one blamed the boy, so he didn't have to do that to himself. The Monk walked toward the Son of Goku. He needed comforting; no one blamed him, and he should stop blaming himself. Krillin kneeled down beside Gohan and put his hand on his back.

"That's right, cry. Just let it all out little buddy." comforted Krillin.

"It's all my fault. Dad didn't have to sacrifice himself. I wish it was me. Now he's gone and I'm still here." replied Gohan.

"Hey, don't blame yourself; if it wasn't for you, the Earth and all of us would've been history. You saved us. Your Dad was very proud of you, Gohan, and he had to do what he did because he loved you," said Krillin. Gohan looked at his partner with tears in his eyes. "Come on, let's go." Krillin helped Gohan to his feet. He finally took notice of the Cyborg that was punched out of Cell. "Android 18, I almost forgot about her." Krillin ran toward the Android on the ground.

"Come on guys, she's still alive. We have to help her." He proceeded to carry the unconscious Cyborg off the ground.

"Daddy," said Gohan as he stared toward the sky with tears still pouring down his face.

"Krillin, what are you doing with that machine?! Put it down now!" ordered Vegeta as he approached Krillin.

"What?" asked Krillin, stopping in front of Vegeta.

"Destroy it now!" Vegeta considered destroying the Android, but Krillin objected.

"No. She's not that bad, she just needs help," said the monk.

"You're pathetic. Fine, do what you want. I don't care," was all the prince had to say. 

All of the Z Fighters stood there for a couple of seconds, wondering what to do next. Suddenly, a strong wind pushing them a couple of millimeters forward caught their attention. Dust started to surround the area behind Gohan. "What the hell is that?!" asked Piccolo. Electricity was now visible to the Z Fighters while a shock wave made a huge rumbling sound. "That Ki!" exclaimed Vegeta. "It can't be!" shouted Mirai Trunks. "He's back!" That was all that was heard from the disbelieving Piccolo. A huge beam made its way through the Z Fighters until it hit an unsuspecting Trunks in the chest. Mirai Trunks was sent flying until his body hit the ground a couple of centimeters away.

Vegeta couldn't believe it, not only was Cell alive, but his son was lying on the ground in between life and death. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Cell from within the dust. "My aim is as good as ever. It's so good to be back." All the Z Fighters were currently watching, horrified from what just happened. Cell left Trunks in between life and death from just one attack.

"Cell, look what you did to Trunks!" cried Gohan.

"N-No. Why is he here again?" asked Yamcha.

"You thought you'd never see me again, didn't you? Well too bad, I'm alive. But I can't say the same about Goku," taunted Cell. "Want to know how I survived the blast? Well, it's actually quite simple. It is all in here, it's part of my design. Every cell I have a has a life of its own. I can't die, it's impossible. Even if I self-destruct, I will always come back."

After explaining how he was revived and got back to Earth, Cell announced the continuation of the Cell games, challenging the remaining Z Fighters to battle once again. "So, which one of you cowards is the bravest?" asked the Bio Android. It was then that Gohan stepped forward and powered up to his Super Saiyan 2 form once more.

"No, Gohan," said Vegeta.

"You don't scare me, Cell!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Is that so?" asked Cell. "Perhaps I should teach you some respect, boy!"

"One thing I learned from my father is to never give up, even when the odds are against you!" said Gohan, his Saiyan blood thirsting for battle and vengeance. "If you're as powerful as you say you are, then bring it on!"

As the two warriors prepared to fight, the others were checking on their fallen comrade. Vegeta could only stare in shock as his son's body twitched, fighting to stay alive. Trunks coughed up blood as his life force started to fade. Vegeta's anger began to rise the longer he stared at his son.

" _Trunks…my son…Kakarot, this is all your fault!"_ thought the Saiyan Prince. _"How could I let this happen to my son? He has sacrificed everything for me…and I've done nothing but ignore him! No…I won't give up on him! There's still time to change things! Cell has crossed me for the last time! He has tricked me in battle, mocked my Saiyan ancestry, but this time he's gone too far! He will pay the ultimate price for what he has done to my son!"_

" **RAAAAAA!"** screamed Vegeta.

This surprised Cell and the other Z Fighters. Vegeta then turned Super Saiyan and charged at grasshopper as he cried, "CELL!" The Saiyan Prince fired his Maximum Flasher at the Bio Android. The attack completely consumed him, but Vegeta was relentless. He fired multiple ki blasts at Cell. "I'll make sure he can't regenerate again!" said Vegeta as he continued his attack. Vegeta eventually stopped blasting and searched for what was left of Cell. When he couldn't see him, he sighed, "It's over."

The Super Bio Android suddenly appeared right in front of Vegeta; he was smirking as he was unfazed by the volley of energy blasts, which shocked Vegeta and the Z Fighters. "Wrong! It's over when I say it's over!" said Cell. He hand chopped Vegeta in the face, knocking him into the ground. "And it's over now!"

The grasshopper proceeded to finish off the beaten Saiyan Prince with a Ki blast. Gohan, realizing that Vegeta would be killed, rushed to save his comrade. He jumped in between the Saiyan and the blast and it made contact with his left arm before both Saiyans were consumed by the explosion.

"Why would Gohan sacrifice himself to save Vegeta?" asked Cell before deducing, "I will never understand the ways of these Saiyans."

When the smoke cleared, both Saiyans were seen lying on the ground in pain. Gohan slowly stood, revealing his now broken arm that was damaged by Cell's blast. "Well, I've enjoyed myself, and you won't be much of a challenge to me with your left arm completely useless, so I'll just finish you now!" said Cell as he began to charge his Solar Kamehameha. "Gohan…this is it! It ends here! First I'll destroy you, then your friends, and then this worthless planet! But before I do, I want you to remember something: I will live FOREVER!"

The son of Goku could only stand and stare at Cell as he waited for the Earth's end. Prince Vegeta was now lying on the ground, his hope now gone. After seeing that his pride and rage had deprived a fellow Saiyan and fighter of their victory, Vegeta, for the first time in his life, apologized for his arrogance. "Gohan, I'm sorry." Gohan stood there in disbelief that the proud Saiyan Prince actually apologized to him. _"Sorry? I never thought I'd hear that from Vegeta,"_ thought Gohan. _"There's truly no hope left. Father, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him. I failed."_

" _Gohan, don't you dare give up!"_ said a voice from inside Gohan's mind.

"DAD?!" shouted Gohan.

" _Son, there's still a chance. Don't give up hope, you can still win!"_ Goku encouraged his son.

"But how?" asked Gohan. "My left arm is numb, and I've lost half my Ki."

" _Easy, put all you have into one final Kamehameha! I know you can do it!"_ said Goku. _"You already have all the power you need, just bring it out! Show Cell the power we discovered together!"_

Gohan listened to his father's words as his hope started to build up. "I understand what you're saying, dad. I've got one arm left, but that's all I need to win. And I will!" The Demi Saiyan then summoned all the power he could muster and focused it into one final attack. Everyone watched anxiously as Gohan prepared to fight Cell to the death in a Kamehameha battle. With both attacks fully charged, Cell said, "Now… you…die!" as he fired his Solar Kamehameha. Gohan countered with his own one handed Kamehameha, and the energy beams collided as the ground underneath them shattered.

Meanwhile, Mirai Trunks was currently lying on the ground immobilized, unable to speak as his life force was fading fast. In his final moments, the Saiyan Prince couldn't help but smile. _"After all these years, I had to suffer because I wasn't strong enough to defeat the Androids in my time,"_ thought Trunks as he coughed up more blood. _"As soon as I get the power to destroy them, I find myself lying on the ground unable to move. How ironic."_ He closed his eyes, hoping to ease the pain as he felt that his time was finally up. After a few seconds, he realized that he wasn't in pain anymore.

" _Am I dead?"_ asked the time traveler. _"Is this how it feels in the Otherworld?"_

Trunks opened his eyes to see a small green person stretching their hands over him. When his vision cleared, he realized that it was Dende using his powers to heal him.

"Good, I made it in time!" said Dende as he continued healing the half Saiyan.

"Dende! What are you doing here?!" asked Trunks.

"The moment I felt your life force decrease, I rushed here to try to save you," explained Dende. "Guess I got here just in time. Besides, your mother gave this sword and told me to deliver it to you. She fixed it after the Androids broke it."

Trunks smiled as he grabbed his blade. Dende had just finished closing the hole in Trunks' chest, so the Saiyan hybrid was no longer in any real danger, but his body was still injured and his energy wasn't fully restored. Trunks immediately sat up when he sensed the clashing of multiple Ki. His eyes focused on the two giant Kamehameha waves pushing against each other and splitting apart the Earth in the struggle.

"What's going on?!" asked Mirai Trunks.

"Gohan is currently in a final showdown against Cell," replied the Namek. "The others are trying to help Gohan but Cell's overpowering them as well."

After hearing this, Trunks immediately strapped on his sword and ascended to the air. "Wait Trunks, I haven't fully healed you yet!" cried Dende.

"Don't worry about me, just go back to the lookout!" said Trunks before he flew towards the area where Gohan and Cell.

"NO CHANCE! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE!" screamed the Bio Android. As soon as Trunks got there, he saw Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha blasting at Cell's back, but they were all knocked away by Cell's energy wave. With the others out of the way, Cell could now focus his energy into overpowering the son of Goku. Gohan pushed as hard as he could but Cell's power was too much for him, and the force of Cell's energy was slowly pushing him back.

"OH NO! THE EARTH IS GONNA BLOW!" cried King Kai as he and Goku watched the planet being ripped apart from the two beams clashing.

Trunks watched as Gohan struggled to hold onto his Kamehameha. He was suddenly reminded of when he saw his mentor's death at the hands on the Androids. He wasn't about to let another Gohan die if he could help it. Trunks immediately turned Super Saiyan and flew towards Cell.

"Dad, I can't win. He's just too strong!" said Gohan.

" _Don't give up Gohan! I know you can do it!"_ Goku encouraged his son.

Cell, on the other hand, could feel Gohan's Ki decreasing by the second and started to mock him. "Yes, I can feel you slipping!" cried Cell.

The four Z Fighters that were blown away were lying on the ground. They watched as the world started to crumble, feeling ashamed as they could not help Gohan defeat Cell.

"Gohan…" said Piccolo.

"We tried," said Tien.

"We're so sorry, Goku," said Krillin "We all tried our very best to be heroes like you, but it's just…"

"It's just not enough," said Yamcha.

They suddenly saw something zoom past them and soar toward Cell. Vegeta had managed to pick himself up and decided to give one last fight before the world ended. "Vegeta?" asked Piccolo when he saw the Saiyan Prince. Another gold light flew past them and headed toward Cell. The Z Fighters were surprised when they saw who it was. "Was that Trunks?!" asked Krillin.

Prince Vegeta had positioned himself right above Cell. He held out his right hand and started to charge up his Big Bang Attack. Before he could fire his attack, he caught sight of someone stopping a few yards away from him. When he saw who it was, he couldn't believe his eyes. _"Trunks?!"_ thought the Saiyan Prince. _"But how?!"_ The son of Vegeta mimicked his father's stance as he aimed at the Bio Android. Vegeta was surprised at this. _"When did this boy learn my Big Bang Attack?!"_ thought Vegeta, but he decided to brush all thoughts aside and focus on defeating Cell.

Gohan was on his last leg; he was still holding his position but he couldn't for much longer. The side that had Gohan's Kamehameha was being overwhelmed by Cell's.

" _Release it Gohan, release everything!"_ said Goku to his son. _"Remember all the pain he's caused! The people he's hurt! Now make that your power!"_

Cell smirked as he prepared to finish the games once and for all. "SAY GOODBYE SAIYAN!" screamed the grasshopper as his beam almost consumed Gohan's completely. "BIG BANG ATTACK!" shouted Vegeta and Trunks as they launched their attacks at Cell. Cell was suddenly struck in the back by two blasts, drifting his attention from the blast battle to his attackers. He was confused to see Vegeta aiming at him. "VEGETA?!" cried Cell. He then noticed someone beside the Saiyan Prince and was shocked to see the lavender haired Saiyan. "WHAT?! TRUNKS?!" yelled Cell.

" _NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"_ cried Goku.

Seeing his chance, Gohan summoned all his power and shot it into his Kamehameha. The tables immediately turned just as Cell brought his attention back to the fight. Gohan slowly moved closer to his foe as he put more power into his attack. His face showed pure rage and determination. Cell's body started to disintegrate; Gohan's blasts eventually overpowered Cell and began wiping him out of existence.

"I AM PERFECT! I WILL LIVE FOREVER!" cried Cell in his final moments. "CURSE YOU!"

After releasing all of his Ki into the Kamehameha, Gohan was completely exhausted. He powered down to his base form and fell to the ground. All the remaining Z Fighters had scanned for Cell's energy, but there was no trace of it "You did it Gohan. You won," said Goku. "I'm so proud." Gohan smiled and laughed at his father's words.

"He-He did it. Cell's energy has vanished," said Piccolo in shock.

"You mean we're really safe again?" asked Krillin.

"Seems that way," replied Tien.

"It's been a few years since the last time I heard someone say that," said Yamcha.

The two Saiyan Princes were catching their breath from their attacks. Trunks smiled at his father as he powered down to his base and said, "It's finally over." Suddenly, a small hole started to form in the area where the two Kamehameha waves met. No one noticed it as it started to expand around the battlefield. The hole eventually became large and was now visible from the area where Vegeta and Trunks were. "What is that?!" asked Vegeta as the hole started to suck rocks into it.

"NO! GOHAN!" cried Trunks as he realized that Gohan's unconscious body was being sucked into the hole.

The son of Goku was completely paralyzed as his body entered into the hole. _"I'm not losing him again!"_ though Trunks. He quickly flew toward the hole and went into it after Gohan; he refused to allow this timeline to lose Gohan like his did. "TRUNKS! WAIT!" cried Vegeta as he flew after his son. The hole quickly closed before the Saiyan Prince could enter it. He searched for any sign of Gohan or Trunks, but found none. "DAMMIT, BRAT!" screamed Vegeta as he realized that his son and Gohan were gone.

 **A/N: And done! The first chapter of my remake version of Dragon Tail Z is complete. I'm basically going to do remakes of all the Dragon Tail Z chapters that Revolve X already wrote before continuing this fanfic my own way. Hope the readers of this story will like my version. Send me your reviews and comments, I'm all ears. Until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! Time to make this story official by continuing to rewrite the chapter in my own way! I apologize if the chapters appear to be a little short, but don't worry, once we get to the arcs they'll be longer. Enough talk, it's time for Dragon Tail Z!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, or Fairy Tail, someone else does.**

 **Chapter 2: Guilds, Mages, Magic? Where am I?**

Mirai Trunks was currently carrying the unconscious Gohan on his back while he fought the gravitational force of the rift they were in. The Saiyan prince was scrambling to find an exit despite his condition; his driving force allowed him to remain strong for fear of Gohan's survival. Mirai Trunks checked on his friend; he could clearly see that he needed medical attention and fast. Trunks continued to fly through the pitch black hole while searching for an exit, but the rift seemed to go on forever.

" _Dammit! At this rate, Gohan won't make it!"_ thought Trunks.

He was desperately trying to find a way to save Gohan. The lone fighter already felt guilty for his mentor's death; he had let Mirai Gohan down. He wasn't going to let the present Gohan down, too. Although his Ki was dropping fast and he was still injured from the Cell Games, the son of Vegeta persisted in escaping this rift, but his weakened state was starting to affect his movement so much that he started to slow down. Trunks was so focused on escaping the rift that he didn't notice the two portals opening on opposite sides. The two new portals each gave off a strong gravitational pull that was starting to overwhelm the Saiyan prince.

The intense gravity from the two portals was so strong that the time traveler started to lose his grip on Gohan. The two Demi Saiyans were eventually pulled apart and started to get sucked into different portals. "No! Gohan!" cried Trunks as he tried to take back his comrade. The older Saiyan reached for the younger Saiyan, but he slipped out of his grasp and started to move farther away from him. Trunks' eyes widened in horror as Gohan was completely absorbed by the right portal.

"GOHAN! HAAA!" yelled Trunks as he turned Super Saiyan.

Trunks attempted to fly into the right portal after Gohan, but the left portal's pull was overpowering his strength. Prince Trunks struggled to escape his portal's pull, but his Ki eventually dropped to zero and he reverted back to his base form. His strength eventually failed and he was absorbed into the left portal. After he was absorbed, the portals closed and the rift turned pitch black.

 **Back in Dragon Ball Z world: Earth**

The Z Fighters stood there in shock after watching their teammates get sucked into a dimensional rift. "Gohan and Trunks. They're… gone," said Piccolo. Vegeta was still flying around the battlefield, searching for any more portals. "That boy! He just had to jump into that hole!" said Vegeta in his usual rough tone. "In their injured states, neither of those two could last long if they were to encounter a strong foe. Trunks will probably be more concerned with protecting Kakarot's brat, which could lead to his downfall in battle."

"I have an idea," said a voice from behind the Z Fighters. They all turned to see the green guardian standing behind them.

"Dende! What are you doing here?" asked Yamcha.

"I came here to heal Trunks after Cell blasted him. Plus…" Dende started to explain before Piccolo interrupted him.

"Are you crazy?! If Cell had sensed your Ki, you would've been killed in an instant!" shouted Piccolo. "And if you die, the Dragon Balls would've ceased to exist!"

Dende knew what he did was risky and that Piccolo had every right to be upset, but he still felt the need to justify his actions. "I just wanted to heal Trunks. If I hadn't, he would've died without helping Gohan to defeat Cell," said Dende. "Besides, Cell was too distracted by the battle to sense me."

"You do realize that we could've wished Trunks back to life with the Dragon Balls," sighed Piccolo.

The small Namek thought about this for a moment; this particular thought seemed to escape his mind before now. "True, but I wasn't sure if Vegeta's blast was powerful enough—" Dende was suddenly interrupted by a blast coming at him. He quickly avoided it and looked up to see the Prince of Saiyans glaring at him.

"Nice one, but I made that easy to dodge," said Vegeta. "Don't ever say I wasn't powerful enough, or else you're history. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," said Dende.

"Dende, you said you had an idea. What is it?" asked an impatient Piccolo.

"Oh right," said Dende. "I was thinking that we could use the Dragon Balls to wish Gohan and Trunks back here."

"What if they're dead?" asked Krillin.

"Then we can ask the eternal dragon to revive them along with everyone that was killed by Cell," suggested Tien.

Piccolo nodded at this idea. "Let's go. The sooner we get this done the better." The Z Fighters flew into the air and headed toward Kami's lookout. Krillin had quickly picked up Android 18 and followed his friends.

 **Back to Fairy Tail's World: Earthland**

 **With Trunks**

Trunks groaned as he struggled to get up. Unfortunately, his injuries were too much; he was completely immobile. "Dammit!" was all he could say. His pain was almost as bad as when Cell fired a Ki blast through his chest. After a few attempts, Trunks finally managed to stand on his feet. As soon as he did, he stumbled a bit before leaning against a tree that was next to him. The Demi Saiyan took a good look at his surroundings. He then realized that he was in a crater that was created from his crash landing.

He used the little Ki he had left to levitate himself out of the crater. Trunks was stunned by the environment he found himself in. He hadn't expected to land in a forest after being sucked into a black portal. His eyes grew wide as he realized something, Gohan wasn't with him. Trunks started to trek slowly through the forest as he searched for his friend. "Gohan!" cried the teenage Saiyan. "Are you here?!" There was no response.

He recalled that Gohan was sucked into a different portal. He tried to sense Gohan's Ki, but he couldn't find any trace of it. _"No, Gohan's not dead! He can't be! He's probably too far away for me to sense,"_ thought Trunks, trying to assure himself that his fellow Saiyan was still alive. _"Plus his Ki gotta be too weak at this point."_ After limping and searching through the forest, Trunks managed to detect two energy signals coming toward him. He quickly hid in the bushes since he was in no condition to fight. He wasn't sure if these two could sense his Ki or not.

He peeked through the bushes and saw two figures walking toward the crater he made with his entry. Once they were in his sight, Trunks took notice of their appearance. The figures were two girls. The first one was older; she had blue eyes and pink hair. She wore a black vest and skirt. The vest sported a collar and a tie that stopped at her mid-chest, aside from the light cloth band that was clasped above her navel, belly, and the under-inside portion of her breasts which were exposed. She also wore a dark hair band with points resembling cat ears, and long black gloves that reached her upper arms.

The younger one was a petite girl who had a striking resemblance to the older girl. She also had blue eyes and an innocent expression on her face. She had amaranth hair that was tied in two short pigtails with orange bows. She also wore a pale blue mini skirt, a pink sleeveless top with a dark blue center and folded collar with another orange ribbon, a heart emblem on her left breast and an "X" on her right breast. She wore short white gloves coupled with orange wristbands; on top was a long pink fabric that reached her upper arm, orange armbands were keeping them in place.

"Why did the master have to make us go on this mission?" the shorter girl exclaimed.

"Come on. Don't be like that, Chelia, someone could need our help," said the older girl. "Besides, this will be a good way for us to spread our _love_." Trunks noticed the extra effort the older girl put in saying the word "love".

"You're right, Sherry. I mean, my love is nowhere near yours, so I should follow your example until my love is close to yours," said the younger girl, who Trunks deduced was named Chelia while the older one was Sherry.

Sherry nodded before looking into the large hole in front of them. The two girls stared at the crater with wide eyes. "Whatever made this hole has to be huge," stated Chelia.

"It certainly wasn't a lovely creature, that's for sure," said Sherry. "Should we call for back up?"

"I'm sure our love combined can handle anything," said Chelia with confidence.

Their conversation was interrupted when they suddenly heard a voice in the bushes behind them. "Do you think it's still here?" asked a terrified Sherry as she and Chelia turned around. Despite being capable of fighting when necessary, she wasn't as strong as her cousin.

"I'm not sure, but we shouldn't drop our guard," replied Chelia. "I'll check the bushes. Watch my back, and let me know if anything happens." She whispered her words to her cousin so that whoever was hiding in the bushes wouldn't hear her. However, Trunks' Saiyan hearing allowed him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

" _I have to get out of here."_ thought the half Saiyan. He didn't know if they were friend or foe, so he couldn't trust them. All he knew was that he was in no condition to fight and one of them was headed toward him. He was so focused on the approaching Chelia that he didn't notice a squirrel trying to retrieve a nut from under his hand. After a few tries, the squirrel realized that it wouldn't be able to get its food without force, so the small creature bit down on the Saiyan hybrid's hand with all of its might. Any normal person would've flinched from the pain of that bite.

But Trunks wasn't a normal person with a normal body. The Saiyan felt no pain from the attack while the rodent screeched in pain from the density of Trunks' skin. Although the noise wasn't loud, it was loud enough for the two girls to hear. "Who's there?!" asked Chelia. "Come out!" Trunks wasn't sure how much longer he could hide before Chelia found him. He then remembered something: he still had the bag of Senzu beans from the Cell Games. He reached into his boot and pulled out the bag that held the magic beans.

He shook the bag and was relieved to see there was still one last Senzu bean. The Saiyan popped the bean into his mouth and chowed down on it. He immediately felt a surge of power as his injuries were healed and his Ki was restored.

Chelia moved closer to the bush before looking back at her cousin, who nodded. Just as she was about to look through the bushes, a blue blur jumped out with lightning speed onto a tree branch and landed a couple of meters behind Sherry. The girls quickly turned around and were face to face with the Demi Saiyan warrior, who had entered a fighting position.

"Who are you?!" Chelia demanded as she went to her cousin's side. She got no response from the Saiyan Prince, who stared at them intensely.

"Hey, he's cute," said Sherry.

"Sherry, you're engaged, remember?" said Chelia. She had to remind her cousin every time they spotted a guy that was considered cute.

"I know, I was just pointing it out," said Sherry. Trunks tried to hide his embarrassment, but it was no use as the blush on his face became visible. "Awww, and he's shy, too." Trunks was confused by the girl's reaction; his enemies don't normally compliment him this way.

"You're not going to attack us, are you?" asked Chelia.

"Not unless you attack first," replied Trunks.

Chelia kept her eyes on Trunks. She then asked, "You're not a bad guy, are you?"

"No, I'm not," said Trunks.

"Alright then, care to explain how that crater was formed, please?" asked Sherry, trying to get more information out of the half Saiyan.

Trunks dropped his stance as he looked at the girls. "Actually, I woke up in the center of that crater," said the Saiyan teen. "It must be a result of the impact I had when I fell to the ground."

Both girls just stared at Trunks with wide eyes. How was it possible that he made that giant hole; how high was he from the ground? "Wait a minute, you don't have any injuries," said Chelia when she realized Trunks was perfectly fine. "How can anyone fall from the sky to the ground and come out unscathed?"

"I had a magic bean that heals injuries quickly," replied Trunks. He quickly asked, "Hey, did either of you happen to see an 11 to 12 year old boy on your way here?"

"No," answered Chelia.

"Sorry, we didn't see anyone on the way here," replied Sherry.

" _Dammit!"_ thought Trunks as he realized that Gohan was nowhere near their location and that it was his fault for losing his grip on the younger Saiyan.

Before Trunks or Chelia could ask any more questions, Sherry spoke up. "Hey guys, we can spend the rest of the day here asking questions, or we can discuss the matter on our lovely way back to the guild."

Chelia nodded in agreement, then smiled at the half Saiyan and introduced herself along with her companion. "I'm Chelia Blendy. This is my cousin, Sherry Blendy."

"My name is Trunks Briefs," the Saiyan introduced himself. He then asked, "Excuse me, but what do you mean by guild?"

The girls stared at the time traveler as if he were a crazy man. Their looks made Trunks feel embarrassed. "You don't know what a guild is—" Chelia asked before she was interrupted by her cousin.

"Splendid! We'll explain everything on our way to the guild. What better way to express our love?" stated Sherry. "Just follow us; we'll fill you in on the details."

Trunks made a mental note that the two girls were overdramatic when it came to expressing love, though it seemed the older one was more obsessed with it. The lone warrior nodded and the three began their journey to the guild.

 **With Gohan**

The Son of Goku woke up feeling rather well despite the damages he suffered from the battle with Cell. He sat up and looked around, finding the surroundings of the room he was in unfamiliar. He could see that he wasn't in his room, or any room at the Capsule Corp. or at Kame's house. Gohan recalled the events of the Cell Games, achieving the Super Saiyan 2, his father sacrificing himself to save the Earth after he got cocky and didn't finish Cell when he had the chance. That last memory seemed to upset Gohan, so much that he almost started to cry, but he quickly wiped away his tears when he heard someone to the door.

He turned to see a girl about his age standing in the doorway. He took a good look at her and saw that she was a petite girl with long dark blue hair that reached her waist, two bangs that stopped at her chest, and brown eyes. She wore a simple dress with two wavy stripes running across the dress, and ended in small pointed edges at the bottom. Her arms and legs bore wing like attachments. Her left arm had a weird tattoo on it.

The girl was carrying a tray of food while beside her stood a small white cat that stood on its hind legs and held a small frown on its face.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake," said the girl as she placed the tray of food beside Gohan. "My name is Wendy Marvell, what's yours?"

"My name is Son Gohan," said Gohan.

"Well Gohan, you're in our guild, Fairy Tail," explained Wendy. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get the master from downstairs. He'll be up in a few minutes."

Wendy and her cat left Gohan alone. The half Saiyan stared into space as he tried to process what Wendy told him. _"Where am I? And what does she mean by the Fairy Tail guild?"_ thought Gohan. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the short old man, wearing a light brown cape standing in the doorway. The old man cleared his throat to get the boy's attention. Gohan quickly turned to see the master.

"Sorry sir, I didn't see you," Gohan apologized.

"That's alright, boy," assured the master. "But I must ask how you fell from the sky?"

Gohan's eyes widened from the master's question. _"Fell from the sky, what does he mean by that?"_ thought Gohan. When he realized the master was still waiting for an answer, he said, "I'm sorry sir, I don't understand you question."

"According to the townspeople, you fell out of the sky and crash landed just outside the town," explained the old man.

Gohan furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to remember what happened after he defeated Cell, but he couldn't. "Sorry sir, I don't remember what happened," said Gohan.

The master sighed and asked, "Well, where are you from, boy?"

"Well, I live a few miles outside of West City," replied Gohan.

The master stared at Gohan in disbelief "Are you sure, boy, because I've never heard of West City before."

Now it was Gohan's turn to stare in disbelief. "Well, may I ask where I am?" asked Gohan.

"You're in the town of Magnolia in the Kingdom of Fiore, Earthland," replied the master.

"Sir, I'm afraid I've never heard of this place before," said Gohan. "And what's a guild, if I may ask?"

The master once again stared at the boy in disbelief. "You don't know what a guild is?" he asked.

"Afraid not, sir," said Gohan.

" _Was this boy serious?"_ thought the old man. He went on to explain everything to the son of Goku. As the old man spoke, Gohan listened to every word he said, growing more interested the more he heard and understood. After talking for what seemed to feel like a few hours, the master finally said, "Well, it's getting late. I should let you get some rest now." He turned to leave Gohan before he stopped himself and said, "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Makarov Dreyar."

Gohan smiled and said, "I'm Son Gohan."

"Well, it's pleasure to meet you, Gohan." And on that note, Makarov left the Saiyan alone to his thoughts.

Gohan stared out the window as he thought, _"_ _Guilds? Wizards? Magic? Where am I?"_

 **With Trunks**

The time traveler was currently taking refuge at the Lamia Scale guild hall. Chelia and Sherry had introduced him to a few of the guild members, such as their master, Ooba Babasaama, along with Jura Neekis, Lyon Vastia, Yuka Suzuki, and Toby Horhorta. None of them seemed normal to the Demi Saiyan, but the most confusing thing was how quickly they accepted him. Not that he was complaining; he was actually happy to be able to make some new friends rather than enemies. Trunks tried to sense Gohan's Ki, but once again, he was unable to detect it.

Sherry and Chelia explained everything to the half Saiyan, and Ooba filled in on whatever they left out. Despite understanding everything they told him, it was still a hard pill to swallow for the half-breed. All he could figure out from their information was that the portal that he and Gohan were sucked into had transported them to another dimension or universe.

" _Gohan, I hope you're alright."_ thought Trunks. _"Guilds_ _? Wizards? Magic? Where exactly am I?"_

 **A/N: And that concludes the second chapter. Hope you like my version of it. Don't worry, my story won't be exactly like the way Revolve X wrote it, you'll see the changes in the future chapters. Any ideas are welcomed and appreciated. The pairings will be the same, unless someone has a better idea and can convince me to take it. Send your reviews and thank you for your support to does that have! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I own nothing**

 **Chapter 3-That's Unbelievable**

 **With Gohan**

Gohan spent the rest of the night in the room he woke up in. He still blamed himself for the death of his father; however, he did recall that he defeated Cell, and that made him feel a little better. Pushing all thoughts aside, Gohan was currently trying to figure out a way to get home. His mother was all alone now that his father was dead and he was lost. He started to get worried…then again, Bulma was there, and she wouldn't leave his mom alone in her time of need.

Gohan got up and walked toward the door, deciding he wouldn't find a way home if he stayed in bed all day. He quickly changed into the new clothes that Wendy left for him and opened the door. The door suddenly collided with someone and they let out a small scream. The half Saiyan closed his eyes and covered his ears in response. _"Damn Saiyan hearing; now I know how Piccolo feels,"_ thought Gohan. When he removed his hands and opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Wendy on the floor.

"Wendy, I'm sorry!" Gohan apologized as he offered his hand; he could hardly believe that he didn't hear her coming to the door with his excellent hearing. "I didn't do it on purpose; I didn't know you were on the other side of the door!"

"That's okay, Gohan. I'm sure you didn't mean it," Wendy told him as she took his hand and got on her feet. "By the way, the master wants to talk to you downstairs. He sent me to bring you to him if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. Oh, the master told me that you're the one who carried me here when I was unconscious and healed me," Gohan said. "I just wanted to thank you, Wendy."

The Sky Dragon Slayer was fighting a blush that was creeping onto her face. _"Did the master really have to tell him that?"_ she thought.

"Ahem." The Exceed that was standing behind Wendy coughed. "I think we should take Gohan to the master. It's rude to keep him waiting."

Wendy nodded. "Right. Umm Gohan, do you mind if we go now or do you have something to do first?" she asked the Saiyan.

"That's fine, we can go now," Gohan said. He then turned to the cat and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Oh, this is Carla," Wendy introduced her friend.

"Nice to meet you, Gohan," Carla said.

"Nice to meet you too, Carla," Gohan replied. "Um, exactly how many guild members are downstairs?" He could sense a lot more people than Wendy and Makarov.

"Well, Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Lucy just came back from a job, so that makes the whole guild aside from Gildarts and Gajeel," Wendy answered. "But Gajeel should be back soon."

The thought of meeting so many people made the Demi Saiyan sigh. He wasn't sure how they would react to him. Wendy noticed this and tried to comfort him. "Don't worry, they're all really nice people."

"Alright then, let's go," Gohan said.

 **Downstairs**

Natsu had just handed in his 11th job request; he was completing assignments at a fast rate. Everyone knew he was working hard to restore Fairy Tail's reputation after the 7 years they lost due to the incident on Tenrou Island.

"Natsu, you're being way too active, not to mention loud," Gray said in a bored tone.

"What did you just say, ice stripper?!" Natsu asked, peeved, as he got in Gray's face. The Fire Dragon Slayer was dying for a fight and now was a good opportunity he wasn't going to let go.

"I said you're being way too noisy, flame brain!" Gray repeated. He pushed back at Natsu's face, indicating that he was accepting the challenge.

"You'd better take that back or I'm gonna whip your sorry butt into an ice stick!" Natsu threatened. Before their rivalry could go any further, Erza walked over to the two mages and kicked them into the other side of the guild hall.

"You two better behave yourselves! We have a guest and we don't want to scare him away with your fights! Got that?" Erza threatened the mages, who were now shivering in fear.

"Yes, Erza!" they said.

"Good." Titania smiled.

Lucy sighed before asking, "Don't you think our guest will get scared if he sees you beating up Natsu and Gray?"

Erza thought about this. "You're right, Lucy. After all, he is a 12 year old boy. I will restrain myself." She then turned and glared at the two mages, who were now hugging each other while on the floor. "However, if you do anything stupid, I will knock some sense into you as soon as the guest leaves." Lucy just sweatdropped from Erza's overreaction.

Gohan soon appeared downstairs with Wendy and Carla. Makarov was the first to notice him. "Ah, good to see you, Gohan," the old man greeted the half Saiyan. The entire guild turned to see a small but muscular boy who was taller than Wendy by a few centimeters with long black spiky hair. He wore a dark gray top and black pants.

"You wanted to see me, master?" the hybrid inquired in a polite tone as he ignored all the stares he was receiving from the other members.

"Well, I was just wondering if you would consider joining our guild," Makarov told him. This question caused Gohan to stare at the master for a few seconds. Although he didn't tell Makarov about his friends, his family, or even his Saiyan heritage, he did tell him that his injuries were a result of a fight and that his powers came from his Ki instead of magic.

Still, this didn't explain why the master of an important guild would want him to join. He was actually surprised when the master said he believed him. The master did ask the young boy to say that he uses magic rather than Ki if anyone asked, though. He didn't like lying, but he agreed to it anyway. It still shocked him that Makarov wanted him to join Fairy Tail.

"Um, excuse me?" Gohan managed to say.

"I just asked if you would join our guild. We could help you understand what happened to you and how to return home," Makarov repeated. This made sense to Gohan, but before he could give his answer, someone spoke up.

"Master, are you sure about this? He is a kid, after all," Macao said. "It could be dangerous, and if he gets hurt, we could get in trouble with his parents."

"Macao, I've been the master of Fairy Tail for a long time so I've got loads of experience, but in all my years, I've learned that age doesn't matter in a guild. Just look at Wendy and Romeo. They were just as old as Gohan when they joined if not younger." Macao could only stare at the master as he continued to speak. "What matters in a guild isn't age, it's the fire in your heart that will lead you on your adventures, the ability to make friends and protect them when needed, and the will to fight for the sake of your family and not abandon them!"

All the members stared at the master with fondness as they were inspired by his heartfelt speech.

"So, what do you say, Gohan?" Makarov asked.

The son of Goku thought about this for a moment and then answered, "Alright, I'll join."

"Excellent. Now let us introduce you to your new guild mates-" Before Makarov could finish speaking, Natsu suddenly appeared in front of the new recruit.

"You look strong; fight me!" Natsu challenged the Saiyan. The Fire Wizard was suddenly punched in the head by the queen of the Fairies. Erza grabbed Natsu and started to shake him violently. "Introduce yourself properly or I'll beat you senseless!" Erza threatened the Dragon Slayer.

"So much for restraint." Lucy sweatdropped.

Watching Erza discipline Natsu seemed to bring a smile to Gohan's face. Wendy noticed this and asked, "What's funny, Gohan?"

"It's nothing. Erza just reminds me of my mom," the Saiyan answered. "And the pink haired guy reminds me of my dad."

"Ahem." Makarov cleared his throat. "As I was saying, before we introduce you, you must be marked with the Fairy Tail symbol. Mira, if you would."

A long white haired girl in a red sleeveless dress soon approached the young Z fighter with a stamp. "Where do you want the mark, Gohan?" Mirajane asked in a sweet tone.

Gohan thought for a second and replied, "On my right shoulder."

"What color?"

"Red will be fine," the boy answered.

Mirajane nodded and proceeded to stamp the twelve year old boy's right shoulder. Gohan's shoulder sparkled as the red mark appeared on it. "There you go, Gohan. Welcome to our guild!" Mira said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Miss Mirajane," Gohan responded.

"You can call me Mira," Mirajane told him.

"Let's introduce you to the others, shall we?" Makarov suggested. All the guild members came up to meet their new family member. Gohan learned the name of every member in the guild, from Team Natsu, to Team Shadow Gear, to the Thunder Legion, and every other member that wasn't part of a team. Gohan managed to memorize the name of every member quicker than he expected _. "I guess mom forcing me to study must've enhanced my memory,"_ Gohan thought.

"Hey Gohan, fight me!" Natsu challenged the boy again.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, fire mouth?" Gray said in exasperation.

"Why don't you make me, ice freak!" Natsu replied angrily.

The two wizards started butting heads with each other once again. Their auras started to mix, like a blend of fire and ice. Before it could escalate, Erza punched both of them in the face.

"Don't worry, they're always like this," Lisanna revealed to the half breed from behind.

"That's how real men solve their problems!" Elfman yelled.

"Silence, Elfman!" Erza ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Elfman responded meekly.

" _Yep, she's just as scary as my mother,"_ Gohan thought. He then addressed Natsu. "If you want to fight me Natsu, then okay."

"Alright!" Natsu cried. "Starting NOW!

The Fire Dragon Slayer charged at the Demi Saiyan with great speed. Before Gohan could brace himself, Erza kicked Natsu, sending him flying through the guild hall. "No fighting in the guild hall!" Erza reprimanded him. "We don't want to wreck the place again!"

"I agree with Erza," Wendy spoke up.

"Don't you think kicking Natsu through the wall is considered wrecking the place?" Levy questioned.

"Indeed," Jet and Droy agreed.

"Well then, let's take it outside the guild hall. How about the town square?" Natsu suggested as he came back to the guild, barely scathed.

"How about we fight outside the town so we don't cause any damage?" Gohan gave his own suggestion.

"Good idea, Gohan," Erza agreed. "Let's get going."

Aside from Macao, who wasn't interested in the fight, all the guild members left the guild hall, leaving it empty.

Trunks woke up the next morning a little confused as his surroundings were unfamiliar to him. He sighed as memories of yesterday's event raced through his mind; He spent all night trying to come up with a good explanation about what happened to him; all he could deduce was that he somehow entered a different dimension. Although it sounded unbelievable, so did the idea of traveling through time, so he could believe it till someone could convince him otherwise.

After spending ten minutes in bed pondering, he decided to leave the room. He pulled out a capsule from his boot, pressed the button and threw it. With a loud poof, clothes similar to the ones he wore when he fought Frieza appeared in a puff of smoke. He changed into his clothes and made his way to the guild hall.

"Oh, there you are, Trunks. I was just about to see if you were awake," Lyon said in slight surprise as he met Trunks halfway down the stairs. "The master wishes to see you, and a word of advice, don't make her angry or she'll spin you."

Trunks wasn't sure what he meant by spin, but he nodded and thanked Lyon for the advice. He entered the office, where master Ooba was sitting in a chair, waiting for him.

"How are you, young man?" she asked the Saiyan.

"I'm fine," he replied. "And I want to thank you for letting me stay the night."

"Think nothing of it." Ooba waved it off. "So, have you come across any conclusion about your situation?"

"The only conclusion I have is that I somehow traveled to another dimension, but I can't prove that," Trunks answered.

"I see," Ooba said. "Well, would you like to join our guild? You might find your friend or even a way home while doing some jobs."

Trunks thought about the master's offer. It did make sense to him since he had no other way to search for Gohan, so he decided to accept the invitation. "I would be honored to join your guild."

Ooba smiled. "Well then, use this to stamp on the Lamia Scale mark." She handed Trunks the Lamia Scale stamp. The Son of Vegeta decided to place the mark on his left shoulder in honor of his mentor, Gohan, who lost his left arm to save his life. "Welcome to our guild," Ooba said when the mark appeared on Trunks' shoulder.

"Thank you. I'll take a job to start off," Trunks responded.

"Very well," Ooba said since she knew Trunks wanted to find his friend right away. "The job requests are in the main hall." The Demi Saiyan left her office and entered the main hall; Chelia was the first to spot him.

"So, how'd it go?" she asked in a cheerful tone.

"It went fine. She asked to join the guild and I accepted," Trunks told her as he showed off his Lamia Scale mark.

"So you're one of us now?" Lyon asked with a smirk as he approached Trunks. "Then you have to fight one of us."

"Huh? Why should I fight one of you?" the half Saiyan questioned.

"In our guild, any new member has to fight any current member to see where they'll be ranked in the guild," Lyon explained. "However, you must choose your opponent without us telling you who's the strongest or the weakest."

"That's fine by me," Trunks said. He looked at Chelia, Sherry, Lyon, Yuka, Jura, and Toby, trying to decide who to fight. He closed his eyes to try and sense each of their energy levels; it was difficult since they used magic instead of Ki. He opened his eyes and looked directly at Jura; he looked like he could be the strongest and the Saiyan could use a good challenge since he hadn't trained since the Cell Games.

Lyon noticed that Trunks was looking at Jura, thinking that the boy was seriously unlucky. "I guess it's settled; Trunks will fight Jura."

Jura simply nodded and approached the Z Fighter before extending his hand. "May the best man win," he said respectfully.

Trunks smiled and shook Jura's hand. "When do we get to fight?" he inquired. He couldn't hide his excitement; he was a Saiyan after all, and fighting was in his blood. Plus, this was one of the few fights where he knew that he wouldn't be killed if he lost.

"Right now, if you want," Sherry replied. "Just follow me to the training arena." All of the members then started to make their way to the training grounds.

Trunks took a good look around. The arena was so big, it could rival Cell's ring. It looked perfect for a sparring match. The ground underneath was made of rocks that looked hard to break. It also had seats where people could watch or wait their turn.

"I assume you like this place," Jura spoke up, snapping Trunks out of his daze as he stood next to him. He noticed the other guild members and even Ooba were sitting in the seat area waiting for them to fight.

Trunks and Jura stood on opposite sides of the arena. Ooba stood from her seat and yelled, "You may begin!" Trunks wasted no time as he charged at Jura with incredible speed, but it wasn't his top speed. On his way, Trunks realized that Jura hadn't moved an inch since the fight began. Just as Trunks was ready to punch his opponent in the gut, he was surprised when Jura raised his right hand and hand chopped him to the ground. The hit caused dust to spread throughout the battle arena.

"Poor guy," Sherry said sympathetically. "He never had a chance against Jura. I still wonder why he chose him as his opponent."

Lyon shook his head. "How about we let him choose another competitor when he regains consciousness—" His eyes widened when the dust cleared, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Trunks had blocked Jura's attack with his left hand. He countered one of Jura's most powerful attacks with one hand. Jura was surprised at this; although he expected Trunks to be strong, he didn't think he could block his attack with one hand. Trunks noticed that Jura was distracted and took advantage. He pushed away Jura's hand and delivered a strong right hand punch to Jura's chin. The collision caused Jura to fly in the air, but he quickly regained his balance and landed on the floor without crashing.

Jura smiled; he wasn't expecting the boy to be this good. "You're stronger than I thought," he said as he rubbed his chin.

Trunks lowered his fist and took a fighting stance. "Shall we continue?"

" **Rock Avalanche!** " Jura cried as he raised his hand at Trunks, causing a huge rock behind the Saiyan to explode into smaller rocks. The rocks were all floating in the air, and with another flick of his hand, Jura sent the rocks toward the Z fighter with amazing speed. Trunks simply dodged the flying rocks with ease. While he was dodging, he didn't notice Jura stretching his hand at him while his middle and index finger were sticking out.

" **Iron Rock Fist!** " Jura called out. A large fist formed from the rocks flying at Trunks. The Saiyan Prince faced the rock fist while charging Ki into his own. He slammed his fist right into the rock fist; after a few seconds, the fist shattered and collapsed onto the floor. Trunks smirked before he suddenly vanished. Jura looked for his opponent when he heard his voice behind him. "It's my turn to attack, don't you think?" He turned around to see Trunks standing behind him.

Before Jura could react, Trunks' fist slammed into his stomach with an unbelievable amount of force. The Wizard Saint fell to his knees as he tried to catch his breath. When he could breathe again, Trunks' leg collided with his face and sent him flying to his left. Jura quickly caught himself and glanced at the Demi Saiyan, who wasn't showing any sign of effort. Jura shifted his hands and a pillar of earth started rise from underneath Trunks' feet. As he ascended upward, the Saiyan looked to his right to see another stone pillar rising from the ground before moving over Trunks' head. The stone pillar started to move downward, intent on crushing the Saiyan.

Trunks pulled out his sword from the sheath on his back and jumped off the pillar he was standing on. As he flew at the descending piece of earth, Trunks swung his sword and sliced the pillar in half seconds before it crashed into the floor and crumbled. Jura stared at the boy with wide eyes; he could hardly believe what he just witnessed. He couldn't even land a single blow on their new member.

Trunks, however, couldn't help but smirk. "Had enough?" he asked cockily with a proud look that could rival his father's.

"You expect me to give up such an excellent fight?" Jura questioned as he smirked too. "Looks like I'll have to be serious if I want to beat you."

"Bring it on!" Trunks shouted as he rushed at his opponent.

" **Talus!** " Jura screamed, and more pillars rose from the ground, stopping the Saiyan in his tracks. Jura appeared in between the pillars while standing on one that carried him upward. Jura clapped his hand together and cried, " **Iron Rock Powder Explosion!** " Spikes started to form from the ground and tried to pierce Trunks. The spikes managed to cut Trunks' pants as he effortlessly jumped back to avoid them. Trunks realized that Jura's attack had forced him to put a good distance between him and Jura.

"It's about time we finish this, don't you think?" Trunks asked his opponent.

"I think you're right," Jura replied. He moved his index and middle finger upward while whispering, " **Iron Rock Spikes.** " More spikes started to fly toward the Saiyan Hybrid. Trunks was prepared to dodge them when he noticed that they weren't trying to hit him, they were surrounding him. Soon, the rock spikes had cut off every direction for Trunks to escape except the air. Before Trunks could take off, Jura shouted, " **Rumbling Mt. Fuji!** " The rock spikes flew at their target and a huge explosion rumbled through the training arena as a blue light appeared where Trunks stood last.

The ground shook so violently that Chelia and Sherry fell to their knees. "Make it stop!" Sherry cried. The force of the fight was too much for her or anyone to handle as they were so close to the action.

"Jura!" Lyon shouted. "Are you out of your mind? That attack could kill him!" The Ice wizard then turned to Chelia and said, "Go heal him before he kicks the bucket!"

Chelia got up to go to the arena when Master Ooba yelled, "Wait!" She never took her eyes off of the place where Trunks was. "It's not over yet."

Lyon eyes widened. "What do you mean?" he asked. He looked at Jura who was standing while waiting for the dust to clear. When the dust cleared, everyone was surprised to see that there wasn't anything left of the Saiyan.

"That was close," said a voice from the sky. Everyone looked up to see the time traveler was standing on air, completely unscathed.

"How was he able to evade Jura's attack?!" Toby screamed. "It's impossible, impossible, impossible!"

"Let's end this," Trunks said as he descended to the ground, with his sword in his hand. He rushed at Jura with great speed.

" **Iron Rock Wall!** " Jura called out as he moved his index and middle finger, creating a large rock formation from the ground to form a wall to block Trunks' attack. The barriers took the shape of cylindrical pillar. "That won't stop me!" said Trunks. He swung his sword and slashed right through the stone wall. " **Rock Mountain!** " Jura shouted as he put his palms together. This caused a large rock to emerge from the ground. It then took the shape of a human clad in an Eastern looking armor, complete with a helmet and with stone protrusions jutting out, wearing a frown and having holes and bright light for eyes.

"That's Jura ultimate defensive technique!" Ooba stated in disbelief. "Trunks must be unbelievably strong to force Jura to use this!"

Jura was now using his last line of defense; he figured that Trunks would need time in order to break through this shield. Hopefully, this would give him enough time to figure out a strategy. However, he didn't realize that making that assumption was a mistake. Trunks, seeing the stone defense in front of him, realized he would have to switch tactics if he didn't want to waste time to destroy it. "Haaa!" cried Trunks as he fired a Ki blast from his left palm.

As soon as the blast came in contact with the stone guardian, it exploded into million pieces. Jura shielded his eyes from the dust flying all around. Although he could barely see, he did manage to see Trunks standing in front of him. The Saiyan Prince punched the Wizard Saint in the face with great power, causing him to fall flat on the floor, unconscious. When the dust around the arena cleared, everyone's eyes widened when they saw Jura lying on the ground and Trunks standing above him with his sword at his throat.

Ooba was the first to recover from her shock. "It looks like Trunks is the winner!" she announced. When Trunks heard his victory declared, he sheathed his blade and offered his hand to his fallen comrade, who had just regained consciousness. Jura stared at the boy's hand for a minute before smiling and accepting it. "Looks like you won fair and square," Jura said while Trunks helped him to his feet. "Congrats."

"Thanks, it was a good fight," Trunks replied.

The other members were still in shock from what just happened; somehow their newest member just beat one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and he did it effortlessly. After shaking hands with Jura, Trunks approached the master and said, "I'm sorry, master, but I think I should do a job now."

"Are you sure you don't need to rest first?" Ooba inquired. "You did just finish a fight."

"Nah, I'm good," Trunks told her.

"Well then, follow me Trunks," Ooba instructed. The two left the training arena, leaving the other members to attend to Jura, who was in need of immediate medical attention. Trunks was actually surprised to see that Jura could stand after that last hit he gave him. The Saiyan followed Ooba back to her office. Once there, she went to her desk and handed a paper to the teen. "I've had this mission for a long time. I was planning on giving it to Jura, but since he's in no condition to complete a mission, I think you should take it," the master informed him. "There's a map on the other side of the paper to show the exact location."

Trunks took the paper from Ooba and read the details. "Thank you, master. I'll get going then," Trunks said as he bowed to Ooba before leaving to do his job.

Erza led everyone to an open area where she said the fight would take place. Gohan took a good look around. They were well out of the city's range, and the closest thing to Gohan and the other members was a forest. However, the forest was a good distance away from them. He looked back at Natsu, who was jumping for joy like a little kid getting a Christmas present. Gohan sighed as he wondered why he agreed to fight Natsu.

" _Because I'm a Saiyan,"_ he thought _. "So I find it very hard to back down from a fight."_

He could sense Natsu's Ki, so he knew the Fire wizard was strong. However, since he used magic instead of Ki, Gohan wasn't exactly sure if Natsu was stronger than him or weaker. He was worried that if he went all-out on Natsu, that he might kill him, but if he held back too much, Natsu could seriously hurt him. Despite how eager he was to fight Natsu, he couldn't allow his Saiyan side to take control of his emotions like it did during the Cell Games or when he accepted this fight.

Gohan glanced back at Natsu, who was standing 5 meters away from him. "I'm getting fired up!" the Dragon Slayer said excitedly as he punched his own palm.

"Now when I say stop the fight, I mean it!" Makarov instructed with a serious tone. "And if you try to ignore me, Natsu, I'll have Erza deal with you personally."

"Fine," Natsu responded, slightly upset.

"Are you boys ready?" Makarov asked.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu replied while Gohan simply nodded.

"Then you may begin!" said the master.

" **Fire Dragon's Claw!** " Natsu cried as his feet burst into flames and he charged at the Demi Saiyan with great speed. Despite how fast he was going, the speed felt normal to Gohan. When he was right in front of the boy, Natsu swung his right foot at full force, aiming for Gohan's body, expecting to deal some serious damage. He was surprised when Gohan raised his left hand and blocked the attack with ease. "What the…" was all he could say before Gohan grabbed his right leg with both hands and started to spin Natsu around.

"Aah!" the Fire Wizard screamed. After 5 seconds, Gohan let go of his opponent's leg and tossed him back to where he stood before the fight started. Natsu landed head first into the ground. He immediately pulled out his head and started to cough.

"Are you ok, Natsu?" asked Lisanna worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine," said Lucy. "He's been through much worse."

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!** " Natsu called out as he unleashed an enormous torrent of fire from his mouth. Gohan disappeared before the attack could touch him and it exploded on the ground. "Where'd he go?!" Natsu questioned as he frantically looked around for the Saiyan. His nose soon picked upon Gohan's scent from behind him. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " Natsu shouted as he engulfed his hand with fire and turned around to punch Gohan's face. The boy ducked under the attack and kicked Natsu in the gut.

Natsu winced in pain before he was kicked away by Gohan. The other members of the guild couldn't believe what they were seeing; Natsu was getting his butt handed to him by a twelve year old boy. " **Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!** " Natsu cried, his entire body suddenly bursting into flames as he charged at Gohan, attempting to head butt him. Gohan was a little surprised at this, but he crossed his arms and blocked the attack. He was pushed back a bit but he wasn't fazed at all from the attack.

Gohan uncrossed his arms and smirked as his Saiyan instincts started to take over. "My turn. CHARGE!" The half Saiyan's body started to light up with Ki and he flew straight at Natsu, skull bashing him right in the chest. Natsu was forced back in the process as he grasped his chest in pain and started to breathe heavily. _"I thought I had a thick skull, but this kid hits harder than Gajeel!"_ Natsu thought. The Dragon Slayer then rushed at Gohan again; when he got up close, he tried to hit Gohan with his fists, feet, etc.

The Son of Goku simply dodged all of Natsu's blows, and as Natsu seemed to get angrier, Gohan seemed to get cockier. Gohan eventually disappeared and reappeared above Natsu. The son of Igneel jumped after his opponent and yelled, " **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!** " as he prepared another fire attack. Gohan placed his hands above his head and focused energy into them. "MASENKOHA!" he cried as he fired a yellowish beam at his challenger. The attack collided with Natsu's and pushed him back to the earth where it exploded, spreading dust around. When the dust cleared, all the members could see Natsu lying on the floor, unconscious.

"NATSU!" cried Lucy. "Wendy!"

The Sky Dragon Slayer nodded. She then made her way over to Natsu and started to heal him. Gohan landed on the ground and put his hand behind his head. "Maybe I overdid it a little bit," the boy said sheepishly. "Is he going to be ok?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine." Lucy smiled.

"Let's just hope he doesn't wake up soon," Gray muttered.

"Gohan." The boy turned to the sound of his name being called and faced Makarov. "May I speak with you?" Gohan nodded before following the master. As soon as the two were away from the group, Makarov turned to address Gohan.

"If this is about injuring Natsu, I'm sorry," Gohan quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to, I just got a little excited."

Makarov interrupted the boy by shaking his head. "It's not about that; the boy kinda had it coming. Though I'm surprised you were able to defeat him so easily; it almost seemed like you weren't trying," Makarov said.

"I wasn't really trying," Gohan replied.

"Interesting. You seem like an incredibly powerful young boy, especially for someone who doesn't use magic," the master observed. "It makes me wonder how strong you truly are."

"Stronger than you would expect a twelve year old to be," Gohan responded.

"And all this power comes from your ability to manipulate Ki?" Makarov inquired. Gohan answered by nodding. "I see. You must've trained very hard in your years."

"It was intense," Gohan confirmed.

"If you ever wanted to take a job solo or start your own team, you'd be a good help to our guild," Makarov told the boy. "You could even be promoted to S class someday."

"Thank you, sir," Gohan said.

"I really think you're gonna fit in real well in our guild, and I hope that, despite the circumstances you seem to be facing, you'll see us as a family and vice versa," Makarov went on as he smiled.

"Me too," Gohan replied, smiling back.

Master Makarov then noticed Mirajane walking toward them, so he turned to address her. "Master, I was planning on taking a job if you don't mind," Mira informed him. The master nodded as he knew that Mira took a job at least once a month so that she wouldn't get bored with her job as a bartender.

"As you wish, Mirajane. Oh wait, I have a job here that's been with me for about a month." Makarov pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. "Since Erza was on a mission with Natsu and the others, they didn't have time to do it. So, I saved it for anyone else who was interested."

Mirajane took the job request and read the details. "This seems like a fine job. Thank you, master," Mira said. "I'll be going then." Mira then left to go see the employer of her job.

"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous sending her on a job alone?" Gohan asked after Mira left.

Makarov shook his head. "No. Although she doesn't look like it, Mirajane is one of the strongest female wizards in our guild," the Master explained, to which Gohan nodded. "AAAAAH!" A loud scream reached both of their ears. They turned to the source of the scream, only to find that it was just Natsu, waking up in a foul mood. "NOOOO! I lost!" the Fire Dragon Slayer cried. He then spotted the Saiyan Hybrid and ran toward him. He got in Gohan's face and declared, "I want a remat—" before he was suddenly kicked in the stomach and fell unconscious again, courtesy of Erza.

All the guild members aside from Gohan sweat dropped as Erza hoisted the unconscious fire wizard over her shoulder. "We should return to the guild hall," Titania instructed. And on that note, every Fairy Tail member started to make their way back to the guild hall.

Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, and Dende appeared on the lookout, where Bulma and mister Popo were waiting with the Dragon Balls. Krillin placed Android 18 on the palace floor.

"What's she doing here?!" Bulma cried out, clearly terrified.

"Relax, Bulma, she won't be any harm," Krillin told her.

Dende immediately got to work and started to heal the female cyborg. After a few minutes, Eighteen's eyes snapped open and she slowly stood up.

"Dende! You'd better get away or she'll kill you!" Yamcha warned.

"I just said she won't be any harm," Krillin repeated.

When 18 realized she was surrounded by the Z Fighters, she quickly stood up and got into a fighting stance. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you," Krillin said, trying to calm her down. "You're at Kami's lookout. Cell's gone for good; Gohan took care of him."

"What? Gohan?" the confused cyborg said.

"You should be thanking Krillin since he was the one who rescued you after Cell's defeat," Piccolo stated.

"W-Well, what was I supposed to do?" the monk stammered nervously when 18 stared at him. "I-I couldn't just leave you there."

Android 18 glared at him. "So, big man saves me and expects me to just kneel down before him? Get real," she said harshly. "As if you had a chance with me, keep dreaming." She then flew off the lookout without a second thought.

"Hey! What's with her attitude?!" She's looking to get clobbered!" Yamcha shouted angrily.

"Not by you though, right?" Tien deadpanned.

"Hey guys, where are Trunks and Gohan?" Bulma suddenly asked when she noticed the Demi Saiyans weren't around. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha immediately froze with fear as none of them wanted to tell Vegeta's wife the unfortunate fate of her son and friend.

Vegeta decided to just go ahead and say it. "Woman, our son was sucked into some kind of portal, along with Kakarot's brat."

Bulma stared at her husband with wide eyes. She could hardly believe that Vegeta had just said that without feeling any sadness or regret, "You mean to tell me that you just stood there while both our son and Gohan were taken away?!" she yelled at the Saiyan Prince.

"Before we start a pointless argument, we should first see if we can bring Gohan and Trunks back to this world," Piccolo suggested. "And revive all the victims killed by Cell."

The Dragon Balls were soon laid out on the floor. Dende approached them and cried, "Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, I summon you!" The seven orbs started to glow before unleashing a blinding light that shot into the sky like a beacon. The sky immediately grew dark as the Dragon God formed in the sky. Eighteen was still on her way back to earth when she noticed the sky's sudden change. _"Why did the sky turn dark all of a sudden?"_ she wondered. She looked back at the palace and saw the Eternal Dragon towering above it. _"What is that?"_

" **State your wishes; I shall grant any two with my power,** " Shenron stated. " **What is your first wish?** "

"We wish for all those that were killed by Cell to be revived," Dende answered.

" **Very well,** " the Dragon said. His red eyes glowed, and after a full minute, the light in his eyes dimmed down. " **It is done; what is your second wish?** "

"It didn't work." Everyone turned to Piccolo with confusion. "I don't sense Goku, Gohan, or Trunks' Ki. They weren't brought back."

"Hey, Shenron! How come Gohan, Trunks, and Goku weren't brought back with everyone else?" Krillin asked.

" **I cannot revive the ones known as Gohan and Trunks because their souls are not in the Otherworld; they still live,** " Shenron answered. " **But the one known as Goku has already been revived by my power; I cannot resurrect him again!** "

"So Gohan and Trunks are still alive," Piccolo reiterated. "We'll have to bring them back with the second wish."

"What about Goku?" Krillin questioned. "There's gotta be a way to bring him back to life."

" _Hey, wait a minute. Don't I get a say in this?"_ asked a sudden voice from inside their minds. Everyone looked up to see if anyone was there, but they saw no one.

"Goku? Is that you?" Tien inquired.

" _Yup. King Kai is helping me to talk to you guys, and I don't think you should be trying to bring me back to life,"_ Goku explained. _"Bulma once told me that I attract bad guys, and now I'm starting to see that she's right."_

"I didn't really mean that, Goku," Bulma said sadly.

" _Regardless, a lot of the enemies we've faced have come to Earth just to get revenge on me. The Earth would be much safer if I'm not around. I actually don't mind being dead, since I still get to keep my body, which means I can still train and fight against strong opponents in the Otherworld,"_ said Goku. _"You guys should just focus on bringing Gohan and Trunks back; they're much more reliable than I am. Tell Gohan and Chi Chi that I'm sorry, but it's better this way."_

"Very well, Goku. We'll respect your decision," Piccolo said.

"We'll miss you, Goku," Krillin added.

"And I'll miss all of you, even Vegeta," Goku replied. "Goodbye, my friends, until we meet again, when you die that is."

Those were Goku's final words as his telepathic message faded from their minds. Everyone looked up, and for a moment, they could see Goku's usual cheerful face in the heavens.

"Who else but Goku would be glad even though he's dead," Krillin sighed.

Shenron was starting to get impatient. " **Hey, is someone going to make a wish or what? What is your second wish? I am tired of waiting!** "

"We should make our wish now, otherwise Gohan and Trunks won't be able to return for another year," Yamcha suggested.

"We wish for Gohan and Trunks to be transported here!" Dende told Shenron.

Shenron went silent for a few minutes before replying, " **I cannot do that! That wish is well beyond my power!** "

Everyone stood there in shock for a moment. All eyes turned to Bulma, who looked like she was ready to explode any minute.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T BRING THEM HERE?!" Bulma cried.

 **A/N: Done! Wow, this chapter turned out longer than I thought it would be, must've been the fights. I hope the changes to the chapter are ok. As I said before, I'm practically just rewriting the whole story in my own way since it's mine now. Don't worry; a major change will be coming up soon. Until next time TTFN AntiHero out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm back! And with another rewritten chapter of our favorite DBZ x FT crossover, Dragon Tail Z. Some of you are worried I might nerf the Demi Saiyans' power, but don't worry, I have no intention of doing that. I'll just try to make challenges for them to use their true powers against, that is, until later in the story when I get there and surprise you all. Now back where left off…**

 **Disclaimer- I own nothing**

 **Chapter 4 - A Savior**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T BRING THEM HERE?!" Bulma cried.

"Shenron, I don't understand. Can you explain why you can't transport Gohan and Trunks here?" Dende asked.

" **The ones known as Gohan and Trunks are no longer in any part of this dimension that is in my reach,** " the Dragon said, " **nor does any dragon have the right to reach into other dimensions, not even Porunga!** " The Z Fighters were surprised to hear that neither Shenron nor Porunga could bring the Demi Saiyans back here. "So, what do we do now?" Dende asked as he turned to his allies.

"Going to Planet Namek is no longer an option," Piccolo mused.

"If we can't bring them back with the Dragon balls, then we'll have to do it another way," Krillin suggested.

The monk turned toward the current heir to the Capsule corp., who was yelling at the irritated Saiyan Prince. "This is your fault! If you had just grabbed your son and Gohan before they got sucked in, they'd still be here and we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Damn it, woman, stop your screeching!" Vegeta ordered, covering his ears.

"This isn't the time to be quarreling, Bulma," Piccolo said, getting her attention. "If you can build a machine that can travel across dimensions, we might be able to get them back."

"But I don't know how to build a dimension traveling machine," Bulma sighed.

Vegeta snorted at this. "Ha! So the self-proclaimed genius can't even build a simple dimension traveling machine." This statement earned him a glare from his wife. "How pathetically disappointing," he added. Bulma Briefs was now steaming; no one ever dared to mock her intelligence, and there was no way she was going take that from her husband. "I'll do it!" Bulma proclaimed, making the Saiyan smirk; he knew how to push his wife's buttons. "But you'll have to take care of Trunks until the machine is finished!" Prince Vegeta's smirk instantly shifted into a frown. "I will no such thing woman; the Prince of all Saiyans will not be reduced to a child care giver!" The couple continued to bicker, which made the Z Fighters laugh.

"Uh guys, we still have a second wish," Dende spoke up. This caught everyone's attention.

" **State your second wish so that I may return to my slumber!** " Shenron requested.

Everyone thought for a couple of minutes before Yamcha suggested, "Why don't we wish for money? My girlfriend's been expecting me to buy her this expensive necklace." Suddenly, Krillin spoke up. "Hey Shenron, can you turn Androids Seventeen and Eighteen back into humans?"

" **I cannot; their bodies are too powerful and mysterious to me!** " the Dragon replied.

"Well, that didn't work," Krillin sighed, disappointed.

The rest of the group was staring at Krillin with confused looks. "Why'd you say 17? Isn't he dead?" Yamcha questioned.

"Is he? The first wish was to revive all those killed by Cell, which would include 17," Piccolo said.

"Ok, how about this: can you remove the bombs from their bodies?" Krillin asked the Dragon.

" **I can; removing the bomb does not harm them or change their function!** " Shenron answered. His eyes then glowed red for a second. " **There, the bombs are no more! Fare thee well!** " The Dragon abruptly disappeared in a flash of light, and the dragon balls flew into the sky before dispersing to spread themselves across the planet as the sky became bright again. "Krillin, why'd you make that wish?" Bulma inquired. "I kinda feel bad for the Androids; imagine having a bomb in your body," the monk replied.

"You still want to help 18, even after the way she treated you?" Tien questioned.

"I just want her to be happy," Krillin said.

Unknown to the Z Fighters, 18 was hiding behind one of the poles on the lookout, watching the scene unfold. She couldn't believe that Krillin just wasted a wish on her and 17. He could've wished for something for himself, but instead he used the wish for her benefit.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get to use the wish for your girlfriend, Yamcha," Krillin apologized to his friend.

"You actually thought I was serious? I was just joking!" Yamcha laughed while rubbing the back of his neck.

"If you say so," Krillin said.

"Krillin, I thought you liked 18. Why'd you make the same wish for 17?" Tien asked.

"Like I said, I just want her to be happy. And if she's happy being with him, then that's fine by me," Krillin answered.

Android 18 suddenly stepped out from where she was hiding, alerting everyone of her presence. "You moron, 17 and I are twins!" she exclaimed. "And don't think that I'm grateful that you've removed the bomb from my body!" She then turned to leave again, only to look back at Krillin before saying, "Later." The female Android them descended from the lookout. Krillin seemed to space out after she left until he felt a pat on his back from his friend. "Hey! She said later!" Yamcha recalled. "I think you actually have a chance there, pal!"

"Really?" Krillin asked.

"Totally," Yamcha repeated.

Bulma, wanting to go home, pulled out a capsule and tossed it to the ground, where it popped and turned into a jet. "I'd better get home and start working on that dimension traveling machine." She hopped into her aircraft and left the lookout with her husband right behind her.

"I'd better get back to Chiaotzu," Tien spoke.

"I guess I'd better get going, too," Yamcha agreed.

"Me, too. I guess the next time we'll be together is when Gohan and Trunks come back," Krillin said. And on that note, the human Z Fighters took off and left Kami's lookout.

The half Saiyan of Lamia Scale was trekking through the forest. _"According to this map, I should turn right as soon as I exit the forest,"_ Trunks thought. He knew that flying would be faster, but decided to walk to his destination since he didn't want to attract attention. He wasn't sure if flying was a normal thing in this world; besides, this gave him more time to try and think of a way out of this situation.

After he fought Jura, his clothes were dirty so he had to change into some new ones. Since he didn't have any spare clothes or armor, he had to wear a different set of clothes that his mother designed for him. His clothes consisted of a white shirt with a black Capsule Corp. logo in the center, black pants, and a black jacket with a red Capsule Corp. logo on the back. Finally deciding that walking would take too long, the Saiyan took a quick look around to make sure no one was around. When the coast was clear, he powered up and started racing through the forest with great speed, avoiding every tree in his path.

 _"At this rate, I'll finish the job in no time,"_ the Son of Vegeta thought.

The Poster girl for Fairy Tail was on her way to meet the client for the job request. He was supposed to be in a palace that was in a nearby city, so Mira decided to take a train. Although she knew flying would be less time consuming, the train would be more comfortable.

The train ride didn't last long as the first stop it made was Mira's destination. As soon as she entered the city, she headed toward the client's palace. She could see kids running around playing in the streets and people spending time with one another. Mira remembered that this was an S-class mission, which was why it wasn't given to Natsu or some of the other members of Fairy Tail. After a few minutes of walking, the demon girl spotted the client's palace. "Oh my," she gasped as she stared at the mansion's magnificence. It was an enormous building that was painted white and had gold decorations. The palace was surrounded by a huge wall that seemed to be made of pure gold.

Mirajane walked up to the gate and stopped in front of it, where she was greeted by a guard. "Halt! What are you doing here at the mayor's manor?" the guard asked Mira.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, I'm here for the job request that Mr. Smith sent out," Mira explained.

"Oh, sorry ma'am. That job was posted weeks ago and no one responded to it; I completely forgot it was still available," the guard apologized.

"There's no need to apologize, we all make mistakes," Mira assured the guard.

"Thank you, ma'am, I'll open the gate for you. Please wait here," the guard said. He then left his post and went inside a small shack to retrieve the gate key. A second later, the guard showed up with the key and opened the gate. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I've let Mr. Smith know you're here. He's waiting for you at the main door of the palace. Do you need someone to take you there?"

"No, thank you," Mira politely declined before entering the château. When she got inside, a small man with white hair and a white mustache was awaiting her arrival. "Hello, welcome to my home," he greeted the mage.

"Thank you," Mira said. "You must be Mr. Smith."

"Indeed I am," Mr. Smith replied. "Are you here for the job request I sent a month ago?" Mira nodded to answer his question. "Then we can discuss the matter inside. Why don't you join me for a cup of tea?" Mira smiled as she and the client entered his home. Mr. Smith and Mirajane were soon sitting on opposite ends of the couch with a tea set on a table in front of them. "Ms. Mirajane, what do you think of our city?" Mr. Smith inquired as he took a sip of tea.

Although she was surprised at his question, Mira answered him. "It's a nice, lovely, clean city," she replied. "But what does that have to do with the job, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ms. Mirajane, our city was able to progress to its current state because about 4 years ago, we discovered a mine that was bountiful with gold. We used the gold to help the citizens of our city," Mr. Smith explained. "But then, about a month ago, a group of bandits bested all of our guards protecting the mine and seized control of it. They attack anyone who gets near the mine."

Understanding what the job was, Mira asked, "So, you want me to defeat these bandits?"

"I wish it were that simple. Unfortunately, the bandits use some sort of forbidden magic, thus becoming more of a threat to our city. They even started attacking the innocents, like a small child who was looking for his dog a few days ago." Mr. Smith looked at the Take Over mage pleadingly. "I humbly ask you to get rid of these bandits if you can."

Mirajane stood up with a serious face. "Don't worry, sir, they'll be gone by the time I get back," she assured the client before thanking him for his hospitality and left to do her job. The white-haired teen headed toward the mine, using the directions she received from Mr. Smith. If they were correct, then she would find the mine after turning right once she passed the city gate. Mira was a little upset at how cruel these bandits seemed to be. How could they just attack innocent children? They weren't a threat to them at all.

The female mage was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone coming her way. Mira suddenly fell to the floor as she bumped into someone. "Sorry miss, are you alright?" the person Mira bumped into asked. Mira shook her head and opened her eyes to see a pair of blue eyes. She found herself unable to break her gaze from the stranger's eyes; said stranger happened to be the lavender haired Demi Saiyan Prince. Trunks offered to help the poster girl up by extending his hand to her, but Mira didn't take his hand, she just stared at him in astonishment for a few seconds. "Uh, miss?" he called, snapping Mira out of her trance; she blushed when she saw him holding his hand out to her and grabbed it, allowing him to help her up. "Sorry miss, guess I didn't see you there. Are you alright?" Trunks asked again.

"I'm fine, thank you," Mira replied as she smiled.

"Well then, I have to get going," Trunks said. "Later." The half Saiyan continued his way to the palace at the same time Mira headed towards the mine.

Moments later, the Sorcerer's Weekly model found herself standing in front of the mine; two bandits were standing guard when they noticed her approaching. "Well, what do we have here?" one bandit asked. "Looks like a young girl lost her way in the forest," the other replied. "And a real hot one if you ask me." They both looked into each other, smirking. "Hey there, little girl, how about you come with us to have some fun?" the first Bandit spoke to Mira. "We swear it won't hurt, much," the other agreed. Mirajane glared at the bandit guards in response. "Looks like we have to force you into what we want unless you come with us quiet-" He was cut off and both bandits stared in horror as Mirajane was surrounded by a dark aura.

"Shoot! Guys, we need some backup here!" the first bandit screamed. Mirajane was still covered in her dark aura when ten more guys came out from the cave. "That is one smoking hot lady!" one of the bandits noted. Mirajane finally finished her transformation and stood in the center of the group of bandits in her Satan Soul form. "Well then, first one to beat her takes her home!" another bandit cried. Attacks of Fire, Ice, Wind, and Earth were suddenly launched at the demon girl from all directions, but Mirajane dodged them with ease.

The S-class mage was really pissed, and she wasn't planning on taking long in defeating these crooks. She gathered the energy around her and formed it into a large black globe in between her hands. **"Soul Extinction!"** she exclaimed as the black globe changed into a black-purple beam that she fired from her left hand. With no time to evade, the blast landed in center of the group of bandits, causing a huge explosion. The whole area was covered with smoke, and when it cleared, ten out of the twelve bandits could be seen lying on the ground severely injured. However, the last two bandits managed to escape the explosion without Mirajane knowing. They carefully hid behind a bush while Mira looked around for any survivors.

"We need to get out of here now," one of the bandits whispered. He turned to flee but his comrade grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait, we have a chance. We just need to use the forbidden magic we learned," the other bandit suggested. His comrade nodded in agreement before stretching his arms forward. His hands began to release thin threads that flew toward Mira; the demon girl was caught off guard when the threads rotated around her body. "Gotcha!" cried the bandit as he flicked his wrists. In an instant, the threads tied up Mirajane and started lifting her of the ground.

"What is this?!" she questioned as the bandits emerged from behind the bush. "So how do you like being on the ropes?" the bandit casting the threads joked. The Take Over mage struggled against her restraints as she attempted to cut herself free. "Don't waste your time. This is a forbidden magic that absorbs the magic power from the one bound by the threads," the other bandit explained, getting Mira's attention. "As long as the threads are touching you, not only is your magic drained, but your body's physical strength as well. And your struggling will only speed up the process; soon you will lose consciousness due to the loss of you magic."

Mira's eyes widened with fear, and a few seconds later, she could feel her magic being rapidly drained as her body suddenly collapsed to her knees. Her eyes started to grow heavy as she started to get weaker. "You've caused us a lot of trouble for such a little girl, so we're going to repay you with an unforgettable night. Together," the bandit sneered as he stood over her. Mira watched in horror as the bandits licked their lips in hunger before the last of her consciousness slipped away.

Meanwhile, Trunks was speeding toward the mines. After talking with Mr. Smith about the job request and learning that another mage had accepted the task at hand, the half Saiyan was on his way to their location to see if he/she needed help. When the cave was in his sight, he quickly hid himself to avoid being spotted by any guards. He peeked out from his hiding place to observe the mine; he saw a huge crater in the ground at the entrance and ten bandits lying around the crater, all knocked out. _"The mage that took this job before me sure did some damage,"_ Trunks thought. He then spotted the last two bandits smiling viciously as they stood over an unconscious girl. _"Is that the mage? If so, then it looks like she's in trouble."_

The Saiyan quickly moved to get a closer look. He landed on the top of the mountain where the entrance to the cave was. With his Saiyan hearing, he was able to make out what the bandit was saying to the fallen mage. "You've caused us a lot of trouble for such a little girl, so we're going to repay you with an unforgettable night. Together." This statement seemed to anger Trunks as he stared at the mage that was lying unconscious on the ground. He immediately recognized her as the girl he bumped into on his way to Mr. Smith's place. _"This is unforgivable!"_ Without hesitation, the Saiyan Prince jumped off his current position and sped through the air toward the bandit that was observing his comrade drain Mira's magic.

"Would you finish up already?! I'm starting to get bored here!" the bandit exclaimed impatiently.

"Hey, it's not my fault that she has so much magic power!" the other bandit argued.

Before the other bandit could respond, he suddenly felt an unbelievable amount of pain when Trunks' fist collided with his face. The force of Trunks' attack slammed the bandit's head against the ground, causing it to crack. Trunks didn't realize that he forgot to hold back on the power in his assault since he was very pissed at the moment. He stood up and checked on the bandit he just punched; he was unconscious but alive. The other bandit turned to his partner in shock before he noticed Trunks slowly approaching him with an angry expression. He quickly released Mirajane from his threads when he saw that she was unconscious and aimed them at the Demi Saiyan.

The bandit mage smirked victoriously as the threads wrapped tightly around Trunks. The Saiyan raised an eyebrow when his body was bound by the threads, but he shrugged it off since they weren't affecting him in any way and continued to approach the bandit. He smirked when he saw the look of surprise on the bandit's face. "But how?! I'm supposed to be absorbing your magic; you shouldn't be able to move!" the bandit shouted. _"_ _Well that explains why the attack didn't work on me; it was designed for magic users,"_ Trunks realized. Although the threads weren't causing him any physical harm, Trunks did notice that they were slowing his movements. **"Haaa!"** Trunks screamed as he created a white aura that severed the threads.

The bandit mage seemed paralyzed in fear as Trunks came closer to him. "You-you can't be human! What are you?!" he asked, petrified. The bandit attempted to flee by running the other way, but he immediately crashed into something hard before he could get far. He rubbed his face before looking to see what he ran into, and his jaw dropped when he saw the half Saiyan standing in front of him instead of behind him. "Y-Y-Y-You're a monster!" the Bandit cried. Trunks smirked in response. "A monster that was sent here to get rid of you," he replied. Trunks slammed his foot into the side bandit's skull, sending him flying into a tree, where he fell unconscious. Trunks scoffed at the defeated bandits before looking back at the unconscious female.

The lavender haired Saiyan knelt beside the white-haired mage and took her arm to check for a pulse. He sighed in relief when he confirmed that she was still alive and proceeded by carrying her bridal style. Mira woke up to someone lifting her off the ground; her body was too weak to fight back. When she heard the mysterious person say, "Hold on," she could sense the compassion and concern in his voice, so she willingly complied. Although he told her to hold on tight, the Saiyan was still surprised when the sleeping mage wrapped her arms around his neck; he looked down to see that she was now awake. Mira looked at her savior's face and her light blue eyes met his dark blue eyes.

"Don't worry you'll be alright, um…" Trunks realized he didn't know the mage's name.

"Mirajane," she said weakly. "Thank you for saving me." Mira then passed out once again. The Saiyan Prince looked back at the unconscious bandits; it didn't seem like they would wake up for some time, so he quickly made his way to the city to get Mirajane the medical attention she required.

Trunks flew through the air and landed at the outskirts of the city before he started running in search of the nearest medical center; it didn't take him long to find one. He quickly entered the clinic and handed the unconscious Mirajane to the doctors; they took her away to begin their examination.

The time traveler was now patiently waiting in the waiting room to here of Mira's condition. "Excuse me," Trunks spoke up, getting the nurse's attention. "How long will Mirajane's examination take?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know, but it may take up to an hour at the most," she answered.

"Well, I've got something I need to do, but I'll be right back," Trunks told the nurse.

She nodded before saying, "Take your time; we'll take care of your friend." The Demi Saiyan left the medical center and made his way to Mr. Smith's palace. The guard immediately opened the gate when he saw Trunks approaching; he then informed Mr. Smith of the Saiyan's arrival. Trunks entered the palace and found the client patiently sitting on his couch. "I see you have returned. Please have a seat," Mr. Smith offered the teen, who graciously sat down in the seat in front of him. "So how did it go?"

"The bandits have been taken care of," Trunks replied. "I suggest that you send your guards to collect their unconscious bodies."

Mr. Smith smiled. "Excellent job. Here is your payment just as promised." The client continued to smile as he handed the bag of a million jewels to the teen.

"Thank you, sir," Trunks said.

"You're very welcome, but may I ask what happened to the young lady that went before you?" Mr. Smith inquired.

Trunks sighed before answering the question. "I found her unconscious along with ten other bandits; she got her magic absorbed by the last two bandits."

Mr. Smith frowned at this news. "How is she doing?" he asked.

"She's fine, just undergoing medical examination," Trunks replied.

"Well then, young man, you should go see if she is alright." Trunks bowed respectively to the client and left his palace to return to the clinic. The half breed entered the clinic and sat back in the waiting area to resume his patient waiting. "Um, excuse me sir," the nurse said when she saw the teen. "I'm sorry for interrupting you but Ms. Mirajane has completed the examination." She grabbed a file from her desk and read the results to the Saiyan. "And according to the results, it appears that she is fine. She just needs some rest and she'll be up and running in no time."

Trunks sighed in relief. "Thank you," he told the nurse.

"You're welcome, now if you would be so kind as to pay the fee," she said.

Trunks nodded as he brought out the bag of jewels. "How much is it?" he asked.

The nurse looked at her paper and replied, "A thousand jewels."

Trunks handed a thousand jewels to the nurse before taking out two hundred and fifty thousand jewels for himself and leaving the rest for Mira since she did most of the work. "Sir, may I ask how you know Ms. Mira?" the nurse questioned the Saiyan.

"I don't, we just met a couple hours ago," he responded. The nurse nodded to him. "Do you know her?" he asked.

"Of course. Ms. Mirajane is one of the most powerful wizards of the Fairy Tail guild; she also used to be the main model for the Sorcerer's weekly magazine," the nurse explained.

" _So, this Mirajane is pretty famous,"_ Trunks thought before he requested, "I'm sorry, but can you send a message to Fairy Tail telling them that Mirajane is here?" The nurse nodded to his request. "Do you have a pen and paper?" he asked next.

The nurse handed him a pen and paper. "By the way, you can go see her, although she is unconscious," she informed him.

Trunks nodded before going to sit back down. He wrote on the paper for a few seconds and then got up and put the paper in the bag of jewels for Mira. "I'm going to see her now," Trunks told the nurse.

"Go to room 11," she told him. The half Saiyan nodded before thanking the nurse. He entered room eleven and saw that it had a bed, two counters, a small table, and a couch. Mirajane was still asleep in bed; he placed the bag beside Mirajane's bed. The Demi Saiyan took one last look at the Fairy Tail poster girl before turning around and making his exit.

At the Fairy Tail guild hall, all of the members were waiting for their bartender to return from her job. Mirajane was late and her siblings were starting to get worried. "Don't worry about Mirajane," Erza stated. "She can handle herself." If anyone could assure that, it was Mira's old rival. Although they Strauss siblings felt a little better, they still seemed a bit worried. "Don't you think we should look for her?" Gohan asked.

"I agree with Gohan," Wendy said.

"I say we go search for her!" Natsu screamed. Despite the fact that he was still hurt from his fight with the Demi Saiyan, he was full of energy.

"For once, I agree with the idiot," Gray spoke. Juvia was standing right behind him. She started emitting a black aura and her eyes turned red as she whispered, "Love rival."

"Who isn't a love rival for you?" Lucy sighed.

"Lucy isn't the only love rival," Happy teased.

"It seems most of the members want to search for Mirajane," Carla stated as Lily nodded.

"Happy!" Natsu called. "Let's go find Mira!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied.

Makarov sighed before saying, "If nothing new shows up in the next 15 minutes, I will send a group to search for her." All of the members nodded in response. Then they heard a "Tch," from the entrance. Everyone looked and saw Gajeel standing there. "So, I hear Salamander got his butt whooped by a ten year old boy," he said. "Twelve," Gohan corrected.

"Shut up!" Natsu yelled.

"Gajeel, this is no time to pick a fight with Natsu," Levy scolded. "Mirajane is missing."

"Oh, her. I was passing by a nearby city when someone spotted me and told me that he was from a medical center," Gajeel said as he handed Makarov a paper. "He told me Mirajane was unconscious there, but she isn't critically injured, she just needs rest."

Lisanna quickly turned to Makarov "Master, I'm going to see my sister," she spoke before heading to the exit with Elfman right behind her. "Wait!" Makarov shouted, causing both siblings to stop. They turned to see Makarov closing his eyes. "I'm going too, and whoever wants to come, follow us," he announced. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Happy, Juvia Lisanna, Elfman, Laki, Levy, Jet, and Droy volunteered to go with the master and they all headed out.

 **A/N: Ok, that's the fourth chapter finished. Slowly but surely, I'll make it to where the original author stopped. But first, a little surprise that I plan on doing that's all me. Stay tuned, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Thank you to all my readers, favorites, followers, and reviewers for your support. It keeps me motivated. Don't withhold your thoughts, keep 'em coming. Until then, TTFN AntiHero Out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ta-da! AntiHero is back with another chapter for Dragon Tail Z! Sorry if it's taking so long, but I've got a lot on my mind, along with a bunch of Fanfic ideas that I'm trying to figure out how to get going. But I'm still here, and I'm still working on it. Ain't gonna let this gift that Revolve X gave go to waste. Now, time for Dragon Tail Z!**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z, Akira Toriyama does. I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Chapter 5 –**

Gohan watched as his guildmates headed out to see Mirajane. He thought it would be best if he stayed behind since he wasn't sure if he was allowed to go with them; after all, he was just a new member. He sighed as he turned around and sat in a nearby chair, hoping to use this spare time to figure out what happened after his battle with Cell. The Demi Saiyan closed his eyes as he entered deep into his thoughts. "Gohan." The boy's eyes snapped open at the sound of someone calling his name, and he saw Wendy was standing in front of him. "Is there something wrong?" she inquired.

"Oh no, it's nothing you should worry about," he assured, not wanting anyone to know about his current situation. "Why didn't you go with the others to see Mirajane?"

Wendy fought back the urge to blush; when she saw that Gohan hadn't gone with the group, she came back with the master to check on him. "W-Well, I came back with the master. The others went ahead, but Master Makarov wanted to inform Macao and Wakaba of the duties they have to perform until we return." It wasn't the whole truth, but Gohan nodded as he accepted her answer. "Why aren't you going with us?" she quickly asked.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to go," Gohan answered.

"Why don't you come with us? I'm sure no one would mind," Wendy offered.

"I don't think it's a good idea since I'm new here," Gohan said uncertainly.

Makarov, who had just finished talking to Macao and Wakaba, heard what Gohan was saying. "Nonsense," he stated, getting the kids' attention. "Why are you saying this, Gohan? You can come if you want. You may be new here, but you're a part of our family now."

Gohan felt relieved that he was accepted even though he was new. "Thank you, master."

Makarov nodded to the boy. "Well, now that that's out of the way, we should head out," the master suggested.

"Right. We need to catch up with the others," Wendy agreed. Both mages looked at the Half Saiyan. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied as he smiled. The three then left to join up with their guildmates.

* * *

Trunks Briefs was now walking toward his guild hall. He figured that Mirajane would be safer at the medical center, and the nurse had sent out people to deliver the message to Fairy Tail, so she should be okay. As he trekked toward Lamia Scale, he wondered how the guild master would react to him not getting the full payment for the job. Brushing his thoughts aside, his mind drifted toward the time machine. He wondered if he could somehow use it to get back home. _"Would that be possible since I'm in a different world rather than time period?"_ he thought. _"Perhaps if I can get the time machine to travel across dimensions or universes, but that would require altering it and modifications, and I don't have the equipment necessary for that kind of experiment."_

Trunks wondered if the time machine would still work since the power supply was not only hard to find or nonexistent in the past but it was likely that it also didn't exist in this world due to there being little use of advance technology. He decided to check the time machine's condition and the date. He brought the time machine capsule and pressed the button before throwing the tablet to the floor. The Dyno- cap popped and the device appeared in a puff of smoke.

Opening the hatch and jumping into the vacant seat, the Saiyan Prince started the machine. It roared to life, and Trunks checked the battery level. _"Still has enough power for one jump. Probably best if I save it for another time,"_ he thought. He then checked the date; he was stunned to see that he was now in the year of 791. _"Age 791? That's even further than my timeline! Have we been thrown 24 years into the future and at the same time placed in a different universe?"_ The time traveler then stepped out of the machine, but before he could revert it to its capsule form, he heard a voice from behind him say, "Looks like we found him." Sensing their Ki, Trunks turned around to find five people standing behind him.

He was about to ask what they wanted when the group launched magic attacks of fire and ice at him. Instinctively, Trunks dodged the attacks, jumping far away from them. However, the attacks collided with the time machine, much to his dismay. Trunks watched as his ticket home caught on fire as it tipped over. He quickly released a kiai to douse the flames. When the fire went out, he noted the machine was still in one piece, but it looked damaged, probably too damaged to be used without repairs. "Looks like we've got a quick one, eh, boys?" said one of the assailants.

Trunks gritted his teeth as he attempted to control his anger. "What do you want?!" he questioned.

"Poor kid doesn't know what he's gotten himself into," one of the attackers mocked.

"Hey, boy, according to our teammate, a boy with purple hair and blue eyes attacked our group guarding the mine, and according to people around the city, he was seen heading this way," the leader said as he observed Trunks. "Seems like you fit that description."

Trunks growled in anger as he now understood what was happening. _"_ _They're with the group of bandits that were at the mine,"_ he realized. Glancing at the time machine, the Saiyan couldn't contain his anger anymore. He let out a loud scream as he released his Ki. The Bandits stared in horror as the ground around Trunks began to crack, and chunks of the earth started levitating around him. "Don't just stand there! Attack!" the Bandit leader ordered. Each of the Bandits launched their attacks at the Saiyan teen; however, he quickly avoided every single one. "Get him!" cried one of the bandits. Faster than anyone could react, Trunks disappeared and reappeared in front of the Bandit leader; his eyes widened when the half Saiyan's hand grabbed his neck and started applying pressure. The other four villains were stunned at how fast Trunks was.

"What are you waiting for?! This is your chance to attack!" the Boss bandit cried.

The four thieves launched their attacks at the Saiyan Prince once again; they hit him in the back, and he was consumed in a small explosion. The smoke cleared away slowly, and once it was gone, the bandits stared in horror as the Son of Vegeta was still standing, without a single scratch, and still strangling their leader. Trunks finally let go of the boss when he lost consciousness and turned to face the other bandits. He took a step forward, which frightened the robbers as they took a step back before turning around and running away. Trunks sped after them and struck them all in the head one by one, knocking them all out. With that over with, Trunks sighed as he took one last look at his broken time machine.

" _As if it wasn't bad enough that I don't have the parts to alter the machine, and now I can't fix it, either! I'm pretty much stuck here!"_ Trunks thought. He figured leaving the machine might bring some unwanted attention if anyone found it and tried to return it to him, or use it for their own benefits. He walked over to the machine and pressed the button; the machine disappeared in a puff of smoke and returned to its capsule form. _"At least that still works."_

Trunks picked up the capsule and put it in his capsule case. He turned to the direction of his guild and started walking there slowly. As he walked, he realized that he was back at square one; no way to get home or contact his world. He sighed again as he hoped he would figure out a new way to get home.

* * *

After the talk with Wendy and Master Makarov, Gohan decided to go see Mirajane with the rest of the group. He was told that all of the guild members that went ahead should already be there. The three were currently riding the train while Wendy was talking about the adventures she had ever since she joined the Fairy Tail guild. Gohan listened to every word the Sky mage said, thinking her tales would give him an insight on what type of challenges he would face. "So, some guild members went missing for seven years because the ghost of the first master Mavis saved you from a dragon attack by putting you to sleep for seven years?" Gohan asked inquisitively.

Wendy nodded. "I know it's hard to believe—"

"No, no. I believe you," Gohan assured her. He was already used to weird stuff happening; He had traveled through the galaxy a few times, fought super-powered beings, personally met both Kamis of Earth and above all that, he was half alien. The train ride finally ended, and the three got off to find the others. They eventually found Natsu frantically running around the city with Happy flying at his side.

"NATSU!" Makarov yelled, getting the Fire Mage's attention.

"Oh, hey master!" Natsu greeted as he approached the three.

"Natsu, where were you going?" Gohan inquired.

"I'm going to find some food," Natsu replied as he rubbed his stomach, which made the master sigh.

"Can you please tell us where the others are?" Wendy asked.

"Sure! See that big castle over there? Turn right, and you'll find it right in front of you," Happy answered as he pointed to the castle.

Makarov nodded. "Thank you—" The master was interrupted by Natsu's antics.

"FOOD! FOOD! I'M HUNGRY!" the Fire Dragon Slayer shouted with his trusty exceed flying behind him saying, "Aye, sir!" Master Makarov sighed at this while Gohan and Wendy laughed. The three followed Happy's directions and eventually found a small medical center; they went inside, and Makarov made his way to the nurse. "Excuse me, miss, but may I ask where Mirajane's room is?" he asked the nurse. She smiled and pointed to a door with the number 11 on it. "Thank you," the master said. "No problem," the nurse replied. Makarov turned to the kids and motioned them to follow him; before they could reach the door for room 11, Jet and Droy came out of the room. "Hey master, everyone is inside. We're just going to get some food for them," Jet explained. "Fine, take care," Makarov told them as he watched them leave the medic center.

He opened the door to see all of the members that came before him aside from Natsu, Happy, Jet, and Droy. Gray was standing and looking at Mirajane while trying to ignore Juvia, who was constantly trying to hug him. Levy, Laki, and Lucy were sitting on the couch. Elfman looked really pissed off. Lisanna was sitting on the bed next to her sister. Erza stood there folding her arms over her chest; she noticed the master enter and greeted him. "Hello, master."

"Hello, Erza," Makarov greeted back before turning his attention to Mirajane. "How are you doing, Mira?"

The Fairy Tail Poster girl smiled. "I'm fine. I was just tired, nothing serious," she answered, although the master was eyeing her suspiciously.

"Master, why were you late?" Lucy asked from the couch.

"I went back to tell Macao and Wakaba what to do till I return. Besides, Wendy and I had to talk Gohan into coming. Apparently, he thought that he would cause trouble if he came," Makarov explained, which made the half Saiyan blush and look to the floor while scratching the back of his neck.

"Gohan, you won't cause trouble. You are a member of the guild now; you can come visit whenever you like," Mirajane scolded him.

Although a bit embarrassed, Gohan nodded and said, "Thank you. So, what happened to you, Mira?"

"I went to Mr. Smith's to get the details of the job. The job was to get rid of a group of bandits that were located at mine just outside the city. There were rumors that these bandits had the ability to use forbidden magic," Mira elucidated. Makarov, Gohan, and Wendy were listening with interest while the others just stood there since Mirajane had already told them what happened up until the part where her magic was being absorbed. "When I got there, two bandits were guarding the mine's entrance. As soon as I transformed into Satan Soul, they called for backup from the cave. I knocked all of them unconscious, but two of them managed to escape from that attack and were able to use the forbidden magic. Their magic was small threads that could absorb Magic power from the user," Mira continued. From here, the other members shared the same look of interest as Gohan, Wendy, and Makarov.

"My magic was getting drained, and I could feel my body getting weaker." After that, Mira went silent. She was thinking that telling the next part would be unwise, especially with her brother already pissed, but she didn't want to lie to her family. With a sigh, Mira continued. "Not to mention that these bandits were going to force themselves on me," she whispered, hoping that no one would hear her.

Although nobody had heard since her voice was too low, Gohan managed to hear what she said with no trouble due to his Saiyan hearing. "Wait, what?" Gohan asked, making all eyes turn to him.

"Is there a problem, Gohan?" Gray questioned.

"I thought I heard Mirajane say something," Gohan responded, unsure if he should tell them what Mira said.

"I did." All eyes went back to Mira. "The bandits were going to force themselves on me," she managed to repeat. To say Elfman was pissed was a massive understatement. He looked like he was about to go on a rampage till he found those bandits and beat the living daylights out of them. Lisanna noticed this and put her hand on her brother's shoulder. "Calm down, Elfman! Since Mirajane is here, that means that she was able to escape!" The younger siblings turned to Mira to confirm if that was true. "Right?" "Well, I was barely conscious when I heard a huge slam as if something was pounded into the ground, not to mention ground also shook. After a few seconds, I heard another slam," Mira went on.

"What do you think happened?" Erza asked.

"After the two slams, I did feel myself being carried and ended up here. I did manage to see who it was that rescued me, though," Mira said.

"Was it someone we knew?" Levy inquired.

Mira shook her head. "He was someone I met here before going to the mission. However, I didn't get his name."

"What did he look like?" Erza asked.

Mirajane used her finger to cover her mouth while she mused. "I do remember that he had purple hair and blue eyes," she recalled.

Erza and the rest of the members turned to Laki, who shifted nervously. "Why are you all looking at me?" she asked.

"Laki, do you have a brother by any chance?" Levy, who was sitting beside her, questioned.

"What gave you that idea I'm the only one with purple hair in this world?" Laki asked. Erza kept her stare at her. "Come on guys, this isn't funny. If I did have a brother, I would know."

Gohan, on the other hand, was deep in his own thoughts. _"Purple hair and blue eyes, that sounds like Trunks! Is he in this world, too? I should try to sense his Ki."_ He closed his eyes and focused, but he wasn't able to sense his friend's Ki. He was only able to sense the Ki of the other members and the people in the center. _"It looks like Ki sensing is limited here."_

Wendy noticed Gohan had spaced out and asked him, "Gohan, are you alright?"

Gohan snapped out of his trance. "Huh? Umm- Yeah, I'm fine, Wendy." He then turned to Mirajane to suggest something. "Mira, if he was the one who brought you here, then maybe the nurse saw him and got his name or something."

"You might be right," Mira agreed.

"I'll go ask her," Gohan said as he rushed out of the room.

Unknown to him, Erza was staring at him as he left the room. _"He seems like he knows something,"_ she thought. After a few minutes, Gohan returned. "So what did she tell you?" Erza asked him.

Gohan shook his head. "Although her description was exactly like Mirajane's, she wasn't able to get his name."

Just then, Natsu kicked the door down. "Now that was a hefty meal!" he screamed, making everyone sigh. Natsu then noticed a pouch lying on the table next to Mirajane's bed. "Umm- guys, did anyone bring a bag with him?" he inquired.

"No."

"Nope."

"Not mine."

All of these were answers to the question. Mirajane took the bag and laid it on her lap; she opened it and was surprised to find what was inside. Inside of it were a lot of jewels. She stared at it until she realized that there was a note there, too. "What's this?" Mirajane wondered, picking up the paper. She unfolded it and began reading. **"** _Dear Mirajane, this bag contains 750,000 jewels from the one million of the mission. Since you did most of the work, I took 250,000 because I needed it and left the 750,000. P.S. I hope that you have a quick recovery. Sincerely,"_ There was no name written next to "sincerely;" so it was likely the person that wrote this was the same person who saved her, and he didn't want her to know his name.

"Well, it looks like he's a good man," Lucy stated.

"Juvia agrees, but Juvia is wondering how he knew that Mirajane was on a mission," Juvia said.

"Wait, since he took the 250,000 that means that he was also doing the same mission. If that's the case, then Mr. Smith should know who he is," Gohan suggested.

The guild members stared at him before Levy spoke up. "He's right. So if we go ask Mr. Smith, he might know this guy's name and his guild." Before Makarov was able to choose who would go, Gohan had already dashed out the room, screaming, "I'm on it!"

This act confirmed Erza's suspicion about Gohan. _"That's it, he definitely knows something, and I'm going to find out what!"_ she thought before turning to Makarov. "Master," she said, getting his attention. "I'll go follow Gohan, I want to make sure he doesn't get lost." Makarov eyed Erza before nodding, and Titania left the room while the others tried to figure out what happened.

* * *

Gohan was now standing in front of the gate; he was having trouble trying to convince the guard to let him in. "But I have to see Mr. Smith, he has some information that I need to know!" the boy urged.

The Guard only shook his head. "Go play somewhere else, kid. I don't have time for games."

Erza slowly walked toward Gohan; after hearing the last part of the argument, she commanded, "Open the gate!"

Gohan turned around to see the red-haired women "Erza!" he nearly screamed.

"Do you have a good reason to meet Mr. Smith?" the guard asked.

Gohan spoke up. "I told you why we need to meet him, he has some information we want!"

The guard shook his head once more. "Unless you tell me what type of information you want, I'm afraid I can't open the door."

Erza took over. "We wanted to meet Mr. Smith because our guild member got injured doing the job that he posted in our guild. According to our friend, someone saved her there, and we want information on the person who saved her since he was also trying to finish the job," she informed the guard calmly.

"Do you mean that white-haired girl and the purple-haired boy?" the guard questioned. Erza nodded in confirmation. The guard went to his small shack and opened the gate; He came out a few seconds later. "I'm sorry for the interruption. I have already informed Mr. Smith of your arrival, please forgive me."

"There is no reason to apologize, you're just doing your job," Erza said with a smile. Gohan and Erza walked up to the castle's main door, where they were greeted by a maid. "Mr. Smith is waiting for you, please follow me," she instructed. Erza and Gohan nodded and followed the maid. They were walking down a long hall until the maid stopped; she turned to Gohan and Erza before pointing at the door next to her. "Mr. Smith is in this room. You may enter," she informed. "Thank you," Gohan thanked her politely. The maid smiled before leaving the two at the room door. Erza walked up to the door and knocked. "Come in," was heard from the other side. Erza slowly opened the door and saw Mr. Smith at his desk doing some paperwork. Mr. Smith looked up from his work and met Erza's brown eyes. "Oh, please come in," he insisted, leaving his work. Erza looked back at Gohan before motioning for him to follow her. "Please have a seat," the client offered them. Erza and Gohan thanked the man before sitting on the two chairs that were right in front of his desk. "Is there any particular reason for you to visit?" Mr. Smith inquired.

"Well, to be brief, one of our guild members took up a job you posted and was injured in the process," Erza explained.

Mr. Smith looked at Erza. "Do you mean Mirajane?" he asked.

Gohan nodded. "She told us that someone came to her aid, and we were wondering if you know who the one that saved her was," he added.

"Ah, as a matter of fact I, do," Mr. Smith said as he recalled his meeting with the Saiyan Prince. "He was a nice boy. His hair was purple, weird hair color if you ask me. Blue eyes, white shirt, and a coat. His shirt did have a weird symbol on it; it was a large C. He also wielded a sword."

" _Description is exactly like Trunks except for his clothes. However, the big C has to be the capsule cooperation logo,"_ Gohan pondered.

"Did you happen to get his name?" Erza questioned.

Mr. Smith shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't remember him saying it."

Gohan sighed, something Erza took notice of before nodding. "Sorry for wasting your time, sir," Gohan said, standing up. "No worries," the client assured. "If you'll excuse us now." Erza and Gohan both bowed to him before leaving. They were outside the gate when Gohan muttered, "Looks like we didn't get a lot of information." "Gohan," Erza said sternly. "Yes?" Gohan answered. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" she accused him. Gohan gulped before asking, "What do you mean?" "Ever since Mira told us the description of her savior, you've been acting strange," Erza explicated. "Don't try to hide it!" Gohan was nervous while Erza watched him very intensely. He finally decided to give in and answer her. "Truth is, I think I know the person who saved Mirajane," Gohan confessed. Erza was now interested in what he had to say. "You do? Who is he?" she questioned inquisitively.

Gohan wasn't sure if telling the truth was the best idea, but there was no turning back now. "His name is Trunks. He was a friend of mine back home," Gohan explained.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Erza asked.

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure it was him," Gohan replied. "Every description matches his, but that shouldn't be possible." Erza was silent as Gohan pondered on whether his fellow Saiyan was actually on Earthland too. He shook his head in disbelief. "Please don't tell anyone till I'm sure it's him," he pleaded.

"Very well," Erza agreed before she began walking again.

"Erza," Gohan called, making the scarlet-haired mage look back at the Demi Saiyan. "Thanks."

Erza smiled. "No problem. Besides, it's a good idea to make sure first. Let's go; they're probably wondering why we're taking so long." The two started walking again; as they trekked, a thought entered Erza's mind. "Gohan." The son of Goku looked at her. "Why do you find it difficult to believe that your friend could be on Earthland?"

Gohan's face suddenly turned sad and guilty as he replied, "Because the last time I saw him, he was dead… and it was my fault." Erza looked at the young boy with pity before she pulled him in for a hug. "Ow!" Gohan cried when his head banged against her armor.

* * *

It was already late at night when the son of Vegeta arrived at his guild hall. Once there, he was welcomed by Chelia. "How was your first mission?" she asked with interest.

"It was fine; it wasn't that hard, to be honest," Trunks answered.

Chelia nodded. "You beat Jura, so these missions shouldn't be that hard for you," she said.

"Oh, how's he doing, by the way?" Trunks asked.

"He's fine; he was only tired, not severely injured," she informed him.

Trunks nodded. "Well, if he's resting, then I'll rest, too. Can you tell Ooba that I completed the mission?" he asked.

"No problem," she said as she watched him leave. Trunks wandered to a nearby open field that was close to the Lamia Scale guild. The field had a clear view of the sky; Trunks sat down before lying on his back to stare at the night sky. Stargazing was one of his favorite ways to pass the time; it was the only thing to do in his timeline since everything else was destroyed. He also decided that he would take this chance to think about his current situation. Closing his eyes, he started to remember what he did throughout the day. First, he had to face the Wizard Saint Jura. After that, he went on his first mission and beat two bandits, saving Mirajane of the Fairy Tail guild in the process. Next, he learned that his time machine had dated this timeline as 24 years past his own. Finally, the time machine was badly damaged because he let his guard down; it pissed him off in every possible way. _"Well, this sure was a busy day,"_ he thought. The lone warrior didn't realize that he spent nearly an hour with his eyes closed in the field.

"Trunks?" a voice called his name. The half Saiyan opened his eyes and saw Chelia standing beside him.

"Chelia? What are you doing here?" Trunks asked as he sat up.

"I came to see what you were doing," she answered.

"I just like to stare at the stars; it's just a hobby," he replied.

Chelia looked up at the sky. "Well, it is a beautiful night," she stated.

"Yeah," Trunks agreed while smiling.

"May I join you?" the God Slayer inquired. Trunks looked at her before patting the area next to him. Chelia smiled and sat down next to Trunks. "Trunks?" she spoke, getting the time traveler's attention. Chelia wasn't sure if she should say this, but it was too late. "Well, I overheard you telling Ooba that you're from another dimension," she confessed.

Trunks had a blank stare on his face. "Yeah, so?" he questioned.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Chelia asked him in surprise.

"Why should I be? You guys did welcome me here without hesitation, you should at least know the truth about me," Trunks responded. Chelia sighed in relief. "Have you told this to anyone else?" he asked her.

The Sky mage shook her head. "Nope. I didn't think it would be a good idea since I wasn't supposed to know that either," she answered.

"I don't want you to tell anyone, either; I don't know what'll happen if the news spreads," Trunks told her.

"I wasn't planning to, anyways," Chelia said.

"Thanks."

Chelia smiled before she looked at Trunks with a new question on her mind. "Can you tell me about your dimension?" she inquired.

Trunks wasn't really sure what to say. He couldn't tell her about him being from the future or the past before the androids came and devastated his home. "I'm sorry, I don't think I want to talk about that now," he replied. Chelia nodded when she saw his pained expression. "Sorry, just forget I asked," she said. The two members of Lamia Scale were now lying next to each other while staring at the stars in the sky. "Oh, I almost forgot." Chelia sat up, remembering what her master sent her to do. "Ooba sent me here to tell you to return to the guild hall since there's a storm heading this way tonight." Trunks then stood up and offered his hand to Chelia; she took it and was pulled to her feet. "Well then, shall we get going?" Trunks asked. Chelia nodded and said, "Let's go!" The two then made their way back to the guild.

 **A/N: Chapter Five, done! Now I'm one step closer to reaching the chapter before I adopted this awesome fanfic. Sorry if the updating is taking too long, I just finished the first season of my other successful fanfic, Five Elements, and now I'm taking a break from it so I can focus on my other stories like this one and another one. Just a heads up, I changed the summary of this story, now Gohan and Mirai Trunks have been transported to Universe… 10. That's right, Zamasu's turf. I've got big plans involving that guy and his universe, which includes Black Goku, but that'll take some time. Also, I've put up two polls, one asking if I should include the Key to the Starry Heavens arc in this story and another asking if I should have the Demi Saiyans learn magic or not. The second one is just so I can see your opinions, I might still do it whether supported or not. One more thing, Revolve X had a few pairing ideas for this story, one being** **CheliaxGohanxWendy and the other being TrunksxMirajane. Let me know if you have other pairing ideas; put them in your reviews, which you should still send me. Well, gotta go; until we meet again!**

 **Recommendations- This War of Mine by Sivam-Surprise**

 **The Golden Fairy by Superale2**

 **Escalation by heroman45**

 **Rebirth of the Red Ribbon Army by the one and only, AntiHero627 (Watch out, new chapter's coming.) BBFN AntiHero out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Time for the next chapter! Thanks to my readers for your reviews, ideas, and opinions. Some of you don't want me to give Zamasu his immortality, and I think I might have to listen to you. Since he's a Supreme Kai, he's got a better chance at defeating Gohan and Trunks, unlike in DBS where the Saiyans were at God level, so he needed to be immortal or he would've been killed immediately, even by Future Trunks. Some of you also have mixed feelings about making the Fairy Tail world in Universe 10. I did that because I don't remember if Universe 10 had an earth before it was erased, so I thought Earthland could be that earth. Anyway, let's get back to the story!**

 **Disclaimer- I own nothing**

 **Chapter 6 -**

Trunks and Chelia arrived at the guild hall a few minutes before the storm started; as they stepped inside, Trunks told his friend, "I'll catch up with you later, Chelia. I'm gonna go change." The God slayer nodded in response. "I'll be waiting with Master Ooba and the others in the main hall," she informed him before she left. Trunks left in the direction of the room that Ooba had given him. As soon as he entered, he found the clothing he wore when he fought Jura was now clean and on a dresser next to the window. Without a second thought, he changed back into his standard attire. He then realized something when it felt a little uncomfortable: the long sleeves of his jacket were too tight, most likely due to his muscles increasing in size from his training and growth in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

The Saiyan unsheathed his sword and held up his jacket; he cut off the sleeves up to the shoulder blades. He put his coat back on, feeling more comfortable wearing it now than he did before. (The Attire from Bojack Unbound) He looked at himself in the mirror, satisfied with the work he did on his jacket. Trunks decided to report to Ooba about what happened during the job.

He opened the door and stepped out of his room before heading toward the main hall where the rest of his guildmates were waiting. Ooba took notice of the time traveler when he appeared in the main hall. "How was the job, boy?" she asked him as he took a seat. "I was able to complete the job, but I only got 250,000 of the one million jewels," Trunks answered. Ooba stared at him. "Why is that?" she questioned. Trunks scratched the back of his head as he elucidated. "To be honest, I wasn't alone. As soon as I reached the area, someone else had already started fighting and wasn't able to continue. I just finished the job."

"Did you get his name?" Jura, who was standing beside him, inquired.

"Her," Trunks corrected him.

"She was a girl?" Sherry asked.

Trunks nodded. "Yes, and I did get her name. It was Mirajane."

All the members of Lamia Scale aside from Trunks shared a look. "Looks like the search mission was a success then," Yuka stated while sitting next to Toby. "So, Gray's back, huh? Guess I'll pay him a little visit tomorrow. Who's with me?" Lyon spoke.

"I'm in, I'm in!" Toby screamed.

"I'll come," Jura stated.

"Me too," Yuka joined in.

"Count me in!" Sherry squealed.

Trunks felt left out as the other members started talking enthusiastically about some visit. " _Did I miss something?_ " he thought. Fortunately for him, Ooba noticed his confusion. "I think we owe our new member an explanation," she said before asking, "Trunks, did you get the guild Mirajane was in by any chance?" Trunks nodded. "I did; it was Fairy Tail," he replied. Ooba nodded back. "Fairy Tail was the number one guild in all of Fiore seven years ago. Each year, this guild held a competition in which its winner would be promoted to the rank of S-Class Wizard. Seven years ago, all of the main and strongest members went to an island named Tenrou Island to participate; however, they never returned. We started a search for them with another guild named Blue Pegasus, and eventually they found them," she explained.

"We don't know what happened to them or why they disappeared for seven years, but they'll probably tell us about it tomorrow," Lyon added.

Sherry turned to her cousin. "Are you coming, Chelia?" she questioned.

Chelia shook her head. "You may know some of the members of Fairy Tail, but I don't, so I don't see a reason to go with you guys."

Sherry pouted. "How unlovely. What about you, Trunks?" she asked in a hopeful tone.

"Sorry, but no thanks. I'm in the same boat as Chelia," Trunks replied.

"Come on, you said to us that you met Mirajane, right?" Sherry argued.

"She was unconscious I carried her to a center in the city, so I don't think she remembers me," Trunks said.

"This is going nowhere," Sherry sighed.

"Sherry, you can't force people into coming; if Chelia and Trunks don't want to go, then that's fine. They can remain in the guild with me," Ooba told her.

Jura stared at Ooba in shock. "You're not coming, master?" he questioned.

Ooba shook her head. "I have a hectic schedule this week, but I guess I can see Makarov at the meeting between guild masters," she replied.

"Who?" Trunks asked.

"He's the master of the Fairy Tail guild," Lyon explained. "I suggest we get some rest so we can start our day early tomorrow."

"I agree," Yuka stated. "Getting some rest will be good for us."

"Besides, Trunks needs to rest. He's had a busy day," Sherry said.

"I'm fine, no need to worry about me," Trunks assured.

Ooba sighed. "Trunks, you faced Jura and completed a mission, not to mention you traveled to a different city. So it's better if you take the last hours of the day to rest," she instructed the Saiyan.

Trunks nodded. "If that's what you want, I'll be leaving," he said before entering his room while the others did the same.

* * *

All of the Fairy Tail members were heading back toward the guild hall. The Nurse told them that Mirajane had sufficiently recovered her magic thanks to the rest she took and could leave the medic center. So now, Gohan was sitting on a train with the other guild members while listening to them talk about the seven years they missed while on Tenrou Island. "So, Blue Pegasus helped you find us?" Natsu asked Jet and Droy with a bored tone.

"They're probably going to visit us tomorrow," Gray added.

"Who's Blue Pegasus?" Gohan inquired.

"Blue Pegasus is one of the guilds we've worked with in the past," Erza explained.

"And according to Jet and Droy, they, along with Lamia Scale, helped them to find us," Wendy stated.

"I see," Gohan said.

"You seem to already know that we went missing for seven years," Levy noted after observing Gohan's unfazed expression from what Wendy just told him.

Gohan nodded. "And you believe us?" Lucy asked curiously, only for Gohan to nod again.

"I guess you know more about us than we thought," Erza stated with her eyes focused on Gohan.

"I actually didn't know until Wendy told me about it this morning," Gohan said.

"Well, since you know us, how about you tell us where you're from?" Levy inquired. Erza eyed Gohan cautiously as she waited for him to give an answer. The Demi Saiyan looked to the 3rd Master, earning a nod of approval from him. "You can tell them, Gohan," Makarov allowed. Gohan nodded and turned to the members who were waiting for the answer. "I know this might sound weird, but I'm not sure where I am. I used to live in a small village just outside East City," Gohan revealed. "Where is that?" Lisanna asked. "I'm not sure where that is from here, but what I know is that there are very few people who use magic where I live," Gohan said, which made everyone stare at him in surprise. "Are you serious?" Elfman questioned in disbelief.

Gohan nodded. "Instead, we use Ki."

"What's Ki?" Levy inquired.

"Ki is a tangible energy inside every living person, with its primary focus being in the center of the body. Also, Ki can be positive or negative, depending on the user. By drawing it out, an individual is able to manipulate it and use it for performances outside the body," Gohan explicated. Silence echoed momentarily as the group of Mages fully absorbed Gohan's explanation. It wasn't every day that they heard about a new source of energy independent from magic. "This Ki that you're talking about sounds very similar to magic," Erza noted, seeing the resemblance between the two energies.

"Can anyone use this Ki?" Gray asked.

"Yes, everyone can use Ki where I come from at least, though I'm not sure if mages can learn to use Ki," Gohan replied. "Besides, Ki can be molded into different shapes other than the blast."

"Would you mind showing us what Ki looks like?" Lucy questioned, believing Gohan but still doubting that his words were true. Gohan stretched out his hand and focused a small amount of Ki into it. A golden orb of light instantly appeared in his palm; everyone looked at the tiny sphere in awe. "This is Ki?" Mirajane inquired. Gohan simply nodded. "Yep, this is what Ki looks like, though the color of it does differ from person to person and from attack to attack. This is the weakest Ki blast I could form, but it still probably has enough power to wipe out this train," Gohan explained. "You'd better be careful with that thing!" Jet warned, fearfully clutching the chair. Gohan saw the uneasiness of the group and quickly got rid of the small ball of energy.

"So besides being able to destroy stuff, what else can Ki do?" the celestial mage asked, wanting to know more about this new energy.

"Good question," Gohan said as he smiled. "Ki can be used for many different techniques. It is necessary to increase one's Ki to become stronger because there are physical limits to the strength of the body itself to overcome that barrier. Usually, the more concentrated the masses of Ki are, the more time the user requires to draw it out by powering up. When people gather Ki, they are able to gain enhanced strength, speed, and endurance." All of the Fairy Tail mages were fascinated by the half Saiyan's knowledge of Ki.

"Alright, that's enough questions for today," Makarov said. "We've already reached Magnolia, so let's head to the guild." The group of mages then headed toward the guild hall with the small trip being less eventful than what was on the train.

* * *

The next day, Trunks Vegeta Briefs was sitting in his room quietly, trying to come up with an idea that will help him return home. After what felt like an eternity, he decided to leave the room and see if the others had gone yet. Slipping into his now remodeled outfit, he headed toward the door. He opened the door to find Chelia standing there with her hand up as she was about to knock on the door. "Sorry Trunks, but Ooba asked me to tell you that the others are heading out to Fairy Tail in case you decided to join them," the sky mage said.

"Sorry, but I'll sit this one out," Trunks answered.

Chelia shrugged. "I wasn't going either. I'll go inform them." With that, Chelia turned around and headed toward the guild's main hall. Trunks sighed as he sat down in the hall; doing nothing didn't appeal to him, nor was he in a mood to take a job. He quickly made his way through the random members. Just as he was about to leave the guild, someone spoke. "Where are you going Trunks?" The teen turned around to see Ooba standing behind him. "I'm going to find a quiet place to sort my thoughts out," the Saiyan replied. Ooba nodded. "You're quite the loner, aren't you, Trunks?" she observed. Trunks raised an eyebrow at that. "What gave you that idea?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just the fact that you only seem to accept Chelia as a friend and the others just as acquaintances. Also, when we were together, you rarely joined the conversation; only to ask questions or when someone was speaking to you," Ooba stated.

Trunks rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that I'm not really that good at making friends."

This time it was Ooba who raised her eyebrow. "You didn't have any friends back home?" she questioned.

Trunks' face turned into one of depression. "I couldn't have friends, and the only friend I ever had was killed," Trunks replied when he realized what he just said; he told Ooba before she could question him, "I'm sorry master, but I will explain everything to you when I return."

Ooba nodded. "If you're looking for a quiet place, you can head out to the mountain cliff just outside the city," she suggested.

Trunks smiled as he bowed to her. "Thank you," he said before he turned and headed toward the guild entrance; the lone warrior exited the guild and kept walking until he reached the edge of the city. When he was sure no one was following him, he took to the skies and flew toward the cliff.

* * *

It was a typical day at the Fairy Tail guild, and all of the members were catching up with each other. Gohan watched as the members that were missing for seven years were finding out how things had changed since they went for the S-class trials. Apparently, he found out that the guild was in the middle of partying; celebrating the return of their lost family members when he crash-landed outside of Magnolia. As the guildmates were chatting, Gohan got a chance to meet Laxus, Makarov's grandson, and Gildarts, Cana's father. According to Wendy, Gildarts was the strongest member of Fairy Tail. Gohan's Saiyan side was tempted to challenge him, but it took him everything he had to resist. The Son of Goku was sitting with Natsu, Happy, Gajeel, and Panterlily, who were watching Romeo show off his magic.

"I see you're rocking fire magic too, Romeo!" Natsu said.

"Watch out, world, it's getting hot up in here!" Happy cheered.

"Look, I even make cold flames!" Romeo demonstrated by holding up his hand and letting a bluish fireball. His friends watched in awe.

"That's so cool!" Gohan exclaimed.

Lily nodded. "I agree." Romeo then douses the blue fire and creates another that's purple. "And what is this one?"

"It's a purple flame that can stick to anything it's cast on," Romeo explained before he created a yellow flame that smelled terrible. "And I got this yellow one that smells like Dragon fart."

"P.U.!" Natsu cried.

Gohan quickly covered his nose, but it did little to help since his Saiyan sense of smell was more significant than a human's. _"Ugh, never smelt anything like that before,"_ he thought.

"You have a strange gift," Lily stated, which made Romeo smile.

"If you ask me, you've already outclassed your old man," said Gajeel.

The Fire Dragon Slayer seemed to be lost in thought before he said, "Hold on, I've smelt that fire before."

"Aye," Happy moaned.

"Don't tell my dad, but I've been secretly taking magic lessons from Master Totomaru," the young mage whispered to his friends.

"Get out! I didn't know he was teaching," Gajeel said while smiling.

Panterlily also smiled at his friend's happiness. _"This is rare, though it's nice to see a smile on his face,"_ the black exceed thought.

"Who's Master Totomaru?" the half Saiyan inquired.

"He's a Fire mage who was a member of Gajeel's old guild, Phantom Lord before it was disbanded," Happy answered. "He has the ability to use Rainbow Fire Magic, as well as control another person's fire. Natsu fought him years ago."

"Man, that sure takes me back. I still need to taste the rest of his colored flames," Natsu stated as he remembered his fight against Totomaru. He then started jumping with joy as he shouted, "Sweet! Fire buffet here I come!"

The rest of the Fire Dragon Slayer's friends just stared at him in pity. "Sorry, but I don't think he's too keen on seeing you, Natsu," Romeo informed him.

"Wow, shocker," Happy remarked.

"I gotta admit, Macao, I certainly didn't think you'd be willing to wear the big shoes," Makarov commented. The 3rd master, Wakaba, and Macao were currently sitting at the bar table, having a couple of drinks.

"Well, they never quite fit me. Let's just say that I was keeping them warm for ya," Macao replied. "Now that you're back, I can enjoy a stiff drink."

"Oh, and here I was thinking about letting you keep the position," Makarov said as he rubbed his mustache.

"Are you serious?!" the soon to be 4th Master asked. He started pondering about the idea of himself being the official new master of Fiore's former strongest guild. "Maybe I can drink and be master!" he said while blushing.

"Don't know if this is the best decision you've made but I think it's kinda funny," Wakaba laughed.

"Me too," Makarov snickered.

"W-WHAT?" Erza nearly screamed, getting the attention of Gohan as he turned to watch the scene unfold. "Y-Y-You guys got married?" she asked Bisca and Alzack while stuttering. "C-C-Congratulations. As incompetent as I am, I hope you think well of me. S-So, when did this happen?"

"About six years ago," Alzack answered.

"Sure wish all you guys could've been there," Bisca said. "Poor thing nearly passed out when I proposed; it was adorable."

"Did you have to bring that up?" Alzack asked embarrassedly.

For a second, the redhead did nothing but stare at the married couple before her; the next second, she was violently shaking Max in depression. "No! How could you get married without me there?!" she cried. Her friends sweatdropped at her dismay. "Could someone stop her?!" Max, who was struggling to breathe, shouted.

"Looks like Erza blew a fuse," Elfman commented.

"I can't say I blame her; I'm bummed I couldn't be there too," Mira sympathized.

"That's wonderful! Do you have children?" Lisanna asked the couple.

"We have a daughter," Bisca replied.

"Yeah, we named her Asuka," Alzack added.

Wendy Marvell was going through a hard time as well; she was shaking in depression as she stared at a piece of paper with a drawing of her on it. "Reedus, is this what I think it is?" she asked the artist.

"Oui! I tried to imagine what you would've looked like seven years older and that drawing was the end result," Reedus explained.

The drawing in the Sky mage's hands was her as a teenager; it seemed pretty accurate except for one small factor that seemed to disturb her. "M-My chest," she squeaked.

"Is there a problem?" Reedus inquired.

The three exceeds were also looking at a picture of themselves. Happy and Panterlily had incredibly muscular bodies while Carla had the figure of a woman. "Oh my, this is horrifying," Carla remarked.

"Why am I wearing a loincloth?" Lily questioned.

"You know, we were gone for a very long time," Happy stated. "I wonder if any of the other exceeds got worried about us?"

"Doubtful, exceeds have a different sense of time than humans," Lily answered. "I find it highly unlikely that our absence was even noticed."

"Oh yeah?" Happy asked.

"Well, I suppose that's comforting," Carla said.

"This isn't fair. Why does reality keep crushing my dreams like this?" Wendy asked while still looking at Reedus' drawing.

"Uh, is there something wrong with the picture? I liked it," Reedus said.

Gohan, seeing Wendy's dismay, looked at the picture. It did appear nice to him, but Wendy apparently wasn't satisfied with it, so he tried to cheer her up. "Don't feel too down, Wendy. It _is_ a good drawing. Besides, it's not like it's definitely what you'll look like in seven years. You might end up being even prettier than you are here!"

The Demi Saiyan's words did the trick as Wendy blushed furiously but smiled at him. "T-Thank you, Gohan," she told him shyly.

Gohan smiled back with a slight blush of his own before turning away and closing his eyes; however, he had a feeling that he was being watched. He opened his eyes to see a pair of green eyes right in front of him. The surprise caused him to fall off his seat, causing a ruckus. Everyone turned to see Gohan on the floor, rubbing the back of his head. He quickly looked back to meet those green eyes again, which belonged to a girl a little older than him. "Who are you?" he inquired, getting up from the floor. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. My name is Mavis Vermilion. I'm the first master of Fairy Tail!" the girl introduced herself. Gohan took a very good look at Master Mavis; she had very long, wavy, blonde hair that reached down to her bare feet with a single lock pointing upward, large green eyes that appeared to have no irises and a slight child-like build. She wore a frilly, pink-layered robe with a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. Around the chest were three blue diamond patterns with two blue triangles above. She wore wing-like adornments around her ears and small hoop earrings. "Sorry about freaking out; I didn't see you at first," Gohan apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who scared you. Besides, I was here since you arrived," Mavis told him.

"I don't think I saw you then," Gohan replied.

"Oh, that's because only members of Fairy Tail can see me since I'm a spirit!" Mavis explained cheerfully.

"You're a spirit?" Gohan questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, that's why I can't be seen by anyone unless they have the Fairy Tail mark stamped on them," Mavis responded. Gohan stared at the spirit in front of him in shock; not because she was a spirit, considering there were weirder things than that back at his home, but that she seemed so full of life even though she probably died this way.

"I see you have already met Gohan, first master," Makarov said as he appeared beside the Saiyan.

"I wouldn't say met. It's more like scared!" Mavis giggled.

"Gohan, this is Mavis. She is the first Master of our guild and the one who protected us seven years ago," the 3rd master explained.

"I'll be going then, I just wanted to meet the new member. Till next time, Gohan!" Gohan watched as the spirit of the Fairy Tactician floated in the air and disappeared.

Just then, the guild door suddenly opened. Five individuals stepped into the guild hall. The tallest of the group spoke out. "Wonderful! It seems the rumors were true."

"Who are these bozos?" Elfman questioned.

"I think I know them," Mira answered as she recognized their visitors.

"Hello, my lovelies! I'm glad to hear your deaths were exaggerated!" Sherry greeted, and Toby barked in agreement.

"You appear to be in great health," Jura commented.

"The sentiment's a little redundant when they haven't aged in seven years," Yuka said.

"You've barely been back two days, and you've already trashed the placed," Lyon stated.

"No way!" Gray said in surprise.

"Whoa! It's Lamia Scale!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus helped us search for Tenrou Island longer than anyone else did," Max explained.

" _So, they're from the Lamia Scale guild,"_ Gohan thought.

"We appreciate it," Erza thanked them.

"Well, I guess we owe you one, man," Gray told his rival.

"I'd love to take you up on that, but I've got seven years on you now, and I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of children." Lyon responded with a smirk.

"Yeah, rub it in," an annoyed Gray said.

After everyone settled down, Sherry spoke up with Elfman listening/staring with great interest, much to the dismay of Evergreen. "So you see, things haven't been completely bad while you guys were taking your seven year siesta. In that time, Lamia Scale climbed the ranks to Fiore's second best guild," the mage of love explained before turning to Lucy. "No hard feelings, right, Lucy?"

"Second, huh? Is Blue Pegasus number 1 now?" Lucy inquired.

"Oh yeah, real funny!" Toby shouted as he shook around in anger."Those lame wads, they're not even skilled enough to lick the dirt off my boot! Ya hear me!"

"Here we go. Toby, you're embarrassing yourself again," Yuka told him.

"Now, Toby's wild ranting aside, we're just glad to have you back with us," Jura said as he put his hand on Gray's shoulder.

"That's right!" Toby agreed.

"What's wrong with him?" Cana asked from her usual place at the bar with a drink in her hand, taking a large sip out of her mug. She was pointing at Lyon; everyone then noticed that he was staring right at Juvia. The Water mage looked in the Ice mage's direction; he continued to gaze at the rain woman as though he was mesmerized by her appearance. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Juvia with his hands on her shoulder. "I never believed in true love until now," he declared, shocking Juvia. Cana spit out her drink into Toby in shock, just enraging him once more. "Whoa! I don't think he's playing around!" Lucy gasped.

"He has no idea what he's getting himself into here," Gray stated.

Juvia started to slowly back away while shaking nervously and stuttering. "No…the love triangle… has become a… love maze!" she cried as her incomparable imagination kicked in.

"Is she always like this?" Gohan inquired.

"She has a healthy imagination," Lucy said.

"Please, it's anything but healthy," Gray argued.

The young Saiyan glanced at Gildarts; he couldn't help but chuckle at the scene in front of him. "Did you know? I found out that Cana is my daughter!" Gildarts exclaimed with a silly look on his face as he was standing next to her, getting clingy. "Cut it out! Don't get too clingy!" the Brunette said. The Ace of Fairy Tail then picked up his daughter, ignoring her discomfort. "I can't help it; now give papa some kisses!" he said as Cana pushed against his face. "You're embarrassing me; let go!" she cried.

"Can't they do it in a more dignified way?" Warren asked.

"I guess they aren't planning on keeping it a secret," Vijeeter replied.

Alzack brought up a picture of Asuka drawn by Reedus. He now had an expression on his face similar to Gildarts' a couple of moments ago. "Here she is, my precious baby girl!" he announced. Gajeel, Erza, Wendy, Gohan, and Panterlily came to look at the picture. "She's cute," Gohan observed.

"She definitely takes after you two," Wendy said.

"I agree, she kinda reminds me of Wendy in a way. Tiny and adorable," Lily remarked. Although his words were meant to be a compliment, the Sky Dragon slayer became upset from them. Gajeel face palmed as Wendy started running away, crying. "Stop picking on me!" she cried.

"Huh? What'd I say?!" the exceed called after her.

"Oh Mirajane, how are you feeling?" Jura suddenly questioned.

Mira looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Didn't you leave a hospital yesterday?" Sherry inquired.

"How do you know that?" Mirajane asked in surprise. No one knew other than her guildmates knew and nobody told them about it or she would've heard them.

"Oh yeah, he didn't tell you. How unlovely," Sherry said.

"Who didn't tell me what?" Mirajane was getting really curious as the seconds passed. Gohan, along with the other members, were listening with interest.

"Weren't you rescued by someone?" Jura asked.

Mirajane nodded. "Don't tell me you still don't understand yet," Yuka said.

"Will you stop with the 20 questions and just spit it out already!" Cana screamed.

"It's simple. The person who saved you is a member of our guild!" Lyon stated, shocking the members of Fairy Tail.

 **A/N: And that's the seventh chapter. Now this is supposed to be the last chapter before the Key to the Starry Heavens arc, which I still haven't decided to do yet or not. So far only two people have voted on my poll for yes and one for no while I got one review for yes. I'd still like to get more votes before I make a decision, so please check out the poll if you're interested. I'll give it a week after this chapter is posted to decide. Thank you for your supportive reviews, and I hope to keep you all interested in this fanfic! Keep reading!**

 **Recommendations:**

 **Fairy Tail: Legend of Aang by Switch – On- 97**

 **The New Face of Justice by Comorep677**

 **This War of Mine by Sivam-Surprise**

 **Fairy Tail Xenoverse by Synergizer**

 **Later, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm back! And it's time for another new chapter of Dragon Tail Z! But first, a decision must be made. I was a little unsure whether or not to do the Key to the Starry Heavens arc, so I put it on a poll. I got three votes for yes, and three for no, so it was kind of hard to decide on a tie. However, I also got two reviews saying I should do it, not sure if the ones who sent the reviews were also two of the three voters, but to me, the reviews counted as two more votes, so that was enough to motivate me to do that arc. Although I'd prefer if more people voted or reviewed, I'm okay with what I've got for now. Besides, I'd like to see how this will work with my story. When I adopted this story, I told myself that I would do things differently than Revolve X did while still upholding his excellent work. Now it's time to get it started!**

 **Disclaimer –** **I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT or Fairy Tail. Someone else does.**

 **Chapter 7-**

"It's simple. The person who saved you is a member of our guild!" Lyon stated, shocking the members of Fairy Tail. Gohan thought his ears were deceiving him; did these people truly know the guy who saved Mirajane? Maybe he just misheard him. However, that conclusion seemed unlikely since he had very sensitive hearing. Gohan's eyes wandered over to his guildmates, who looked just as surprised as he did. Mirajane was speechless; the person who rescued her yesterday was a member of the Lamia Scale Guild. She hadn't seen that one coming.

"What's with the silence?" Makarov inquired, not really hearing what they were talking about. For the Fairy Tail guild to be peaceful with almost no noise meant that something did happen.

"Apparently the person who saved Mirajane the other day is a member of Lamia Scale," Erza stated as she was the first one to recover.

"Is that so?" Makarov questioned before looking to Jura, who merely nodded.

"It's true, he came and told us about what happened. He's a new member, and that was his first job," the younger wizard saint explained.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Mirajane inquired.

Sherry shrugged. "He didn't really go into detail; he just told us that when he arrived, you were already unconscious."

"Well, how come he didn't come with you guys?" Levy asked.

Sherry huffed while crossing her arms over her chest. "We told him to tag along, but he didn't want to come. He said that he didn't know anyone here so he wouldn't come."

"But we can assume that he practically knows Mirajane, right?" Lucy asked.

"That's what I told him, but he still refused!" Sherry screamed. "He said something about Mirajane probably not remembering him. Can you believe that?" she asked.

"Well, he does have a point," Gray spoke up, earning a glare from Sherry which didn't look intimidating at all.

"Juvia thinks that Mirajane is relatively quiet," the water mage commented. With Juvia's statement, all attention turned to Mirajane, curious of what her reaction would be. Mirajane didn't know what to say.

"Well, it is his choice if he didn't want to visit," Mirajane finally said before she turned to Sherry. "But please tell him I'm grateful for what he did."

"This is odd," Yuka noted.

"Is there a problem, Yuka?" Jura questioned.

Yuka faced Mirajane and asked, "Do you know his name?" She merely shook her head.

"Then, why didn't you ask for it?" Lyon questioned.

"When he left me at the medic center, he also left a message behind; in the message, he avoided telling me his name. Although I'm not sure why he did that, I respect what he wishes, and since he didn't tell me his name then, I won't ask," Mira revealed to them.

"How rude!" Sherry exclaimed. "He didn't tell us anything about the message!"

Yuka sighed. "We've got more pressing matter to attend to rather than getting angry at him for not telling you a small detail."

"So you don't want to know it?" Jura asked. Mirajane nodded in response.

"Are you sure, Mirajane?" Lisanna inquired from her sister, only to get the same answer.

"May I ask what his name was?" All eyes turned to the source of the question, which was young Gohan, who was now standing know in front of Jura.

"Who are you?" Toby asked.

"My name Son Gohan," the Demi Saiyan introduced himself.

"He is a new member that just joined our guild a couple of days ago," Makarov explained.

"Why do you want to know?" Lyon questioned the boy.

Erza was quick to answer in his stead. "Gohan thinks he might know him from where he lives."

"You know him?" Cana inquired.

Gohan nodded. "I think so. From how Mira described him, he resembles someone I used to know," he said.

"Why didn't tell us, Gohan?" Mira asked.

Gohan looked away in guilt while Erza answered for him again. "He just wanted to makes sure first."

Jura nodded before revealing, "His name is Trunks."

"I guess you were right, then," Erza said as Gohan stared with wide eyes. "So he is someone you know."

"How can you be sure, Erza?" Natsu inquired.

"Gohan told me his friend's name was Trunks yesterday," the scarlet-haired mage replied.

"I do recall Trunks looking for a twelve-year-old boy when I first met him," Sherry remembered.

"That's me, I guess," Gohan said, rubbing the back of his head. _"So he is still alive,"_ he thought.

"Well, what are you going to do, Gohan?" Makarov questioned.

"I just want to see if Trunks knows how to get back home. So I guess I'll go with them back to their guild," Gohan answered. "Don't worry, I plan on returning tonight."

"Well, I think we should be going," Jura suggested.

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Sherry whined.

"Meet us when you're ready. We will be waiting outside," Lyon said as Lamia Scale exited the guild hall.

Guess I'm going with Lamia Scale. Does anybody wanna come?" the Saiyan offered.

"Just go meet your friend and come back as soon as possible," Makarov told him.

Mirajane weakly pushed Wendy toward Gohan. "Wendy wants to come."

"I do?" she asked.

"Yes, you do. Besides, even if Gohan is strong, going alone at night might be dangerous, and Wendy can help you with her magic," Mira reasoned.

"I don't mind; I'm actually happy that she would want to go with me," Gohan replied.

Wendy fought the urge to blush while Mirajane's usual smile widened. "I guess there is no going back then. You wouldn't want Gohan to go alone, would you, Wendy?" she asked the Sky maiden, who shook her head shyly. "I guess I should be coming, too," Carla spoke up as she made her way to Wendy's side. "Let's get going, then," Gohan said. "We'll be back soon!" he shouted as he left the guild along with Wendy and Carla to meet with the waiting Lamia Scale members.

* * *

Trunks managed to locate the place Master Ooba was talking about, and it hadn't taken him long to find it. The quiet area was filled with trees, and there were sounds of birds chirping and squirrels chattering. He thought the peace and quiet was nice since he was deprived of it in his own timeline, so he decided to enjoy it. He placed his sword beside him as he lay down on the soft grass and allowed the wind to pass over him. Unfortunately, the peace he was enjoying didn't last long as he heard the sound of an explosion. _"So much for peace and quiet,"_ he thought. Sitting up now, Trunks looked towards the direction where the noise was coming from; grabbing his sword, he unsheathed part of it and looked at his reflection. He was considering ignoring the commotion to avoid further contact with strangers which could get him into some trouble.

" _Somebody might need help,"_ he thought, strengthening his resolve. His mind was brought back to the times in his home when he couldn't help anyone against the Androids before Gohan started training him. With a determined look on his face and his mind made up, the Demi Saiyan fully unsheathed his blade and quickly flew to the direction of the explosion with his sword in his hand.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the scene before landing behind a bush to observe what was happening. There was a fight going on between three people and a group; the three battling the gang was a male and two females. Trunks watched in amazement as the three easily dispatched the gang. " **Maguilty Sodom!** " one of the two girls, who had pink hair, screamed as she created teal magic blades and launched them at the group, causing them to cry in pain. " **Luminous Minutes!** " the other older woman, with dark purple hair, called out. She threw an orb right above her enemies before it multiplied and rained down on her targets like light beams. Trunks blinked at that. _"Did she just make those orbs from nowhere?"_ he thought. " **Meteor!** " the blue-haired man from among the three said as his body was surrounded by a cloak of yellow light. _"Is that Ki?"_ the Saiyan wondered as he watched the cloak allow the boy to move through the air at high speed, hitting everyone in his range. In the blink of an eye, all of the group members were on the ground and unconscious.

" _Looks like they didn't need my help after all,"_ Trunks thought. The three mages were now looking to see if any of the gang members were still conscious. Before Trunks could turn around and leave, he spotted someone slowly creeping towards the pink-haired girl. A sword suddenly appeared from nowhere as he quietly snuck behind the girl. The dark-haired girl turned around, only to stare in horror as the attacker raised his sword at his prey "Meredy!" she screamed. The pink-haired girl turned around to watch as the sword made its way down. She closed her eyes and waited to feel a rush of pain, but to her surprise, it never came. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a complete stranger standing in front of her, blocking the sword with his own.

"Don't you know that it's rude to attack someone from behind? Not to mention sneaking behind a girl, have you no shame?" Trunks questioned as he pushed the attacker away.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" the survivor of the gang asked in shock. Without waiting for an answer, he rushed at the half Saiyan while screaming, "Flame sword!" His blade was soon engulfed in fire. With a **clang,** the sound of metal slamming against one another sounded throughout the forest. The mage couldn't believe his eyes; his sword was now broken in half with the upper half resting on the floor a few meters away. "B-But how?" he stuttered. "Your sword should've melted from the heat!" Trunks smirked as he replied, "My sword isn't a normal weapon." He then punched the mage in the face, holding back as much power as he could; however, even while he wasn't using his full strength, the mage went flying before slamming into a nearby tree and losing consciousness.

The lone warrior sheathed his sword before turning to the girl standing behind him "Are you okay?" he asked her.

Meredy merely nodded. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

Trunks shrugged. "It was nothing."

"You appeared out of nowhere and act like it's nothing?" the blue-haired man as he approached the Saiyan prince. He stood in front of the swordsman and eyed him cautiously as Trunks did the same; both men looked ready to fight in case any one of them made the first move.

The dark-haired woman placed her hand on her male comrade's shoulder. "Relax Jellal; he just saved Meredy. The least you could do is be grateful," she said before facing the Saiyan. "My name's Ultear by the way."

"I'm Meredy, and he's Jellal," the pink-haired girl introduced herself while pointing to Jellal.

The time traveler nodded. "I'm Trunks," he replied.

"Alright Trunks, how did you appear out of nowhere?" Jellal questioned while eyeing Trunks.

"I just moved at high speed, nothing else," Trunks answered. Jellal raised an eyebrow, but before he was able to ask another question, he was interrupted by Trunks. "If it's not too hard to answer, what were you using to fight the group?"

"You must've been here for a long time if you were watching from the beginning," Ultear commented.

Trunks nodded. "I was, but I didn't want to interfere if it wasn't necessary."

"What I used back there was my Heavenly Body Magic," Jellal answered. Trunks nodded as he thought, _"So it wasn't Ki,"_ "Why do you ask?" Jellal asked.

"No reason in particular, just curious," Trunks responded before asking, "Why were you guys fighting that gang?"

"We're the Crime Sorciere Guild," Meredy explained. "Basically, we're a guild that gets rid of dark guilds."

Trunks nodded. Master Ooba already explained to him everything about Dark Guilds, so he was thankful to have avoided the embarrassment of asking them. "I guess I'll be going then," he told them as he turned to leave the three.

"Wait," Meredy said, getting the lavender-haired teen's attention. "Are you a member of Lamia Scale?" she asked him when she spotted the Lamia Scale mark on his left shoulder.

Trunks nodded. "Yeah, I just joined recently."

"So I guess we'll be seeing you at the Grand Magic Games, then?" Jellal inquired.

Trunks shrugged once more. "Probably," he replied. The Grand Magic Games was another thing Master Ooba explained to him; he also knew that his guild was taking this year's games seriously since they wanted to be the number one guild in Fiore. "Sorry, I'd love to chat, but I need to be somewhere else right now," he told them, wanting to continue relaxing before heading back to his guild.

"I guess we did slow you down," Ultear mused.

"Till we meet again," Trunks said as started to walk away.

"Until then, stay safe." Meredy waved at the Saiyan. Trunks waved back as he kept walking; once he was out of their sight, he immediately took to the skies.

Once the Demi Saiyan was gone, the Time mage turned to her comrade and asked, "What was with all the questioning, Jellal?"

Jellal was focusing on the area where Trunks had been standing. "He looked strong," he answered.

"That doesn't explain why you asked him if he's going to be in the Grand Magic Games," Meredy spoke.

"I think I know why he asked," Ultear said, not taking her eyes off Jellal. "You're planning in ask him for help, aren't you?"

"As I said, he looks strong, and we will need all the help we can get," Jellal responded, and with that, he covered his face with his hood. Nodding, Ultear and Meredy covered their faces and followed Jellal through the forest.

* * *

The Son of Goku was now standing before the Lamia Scale guild hall. The train ride had been enjoyable; it was mostly Lyon and the others asking Wendy what they did since returning from Tenrou Island. Gohan didn't have to speak unless he was addressed. Following Jura and the others into the guild, they were met by the guild master Ooba. "I see you're back already," she said to her guild members before she noticed Gohan, Wendy, and Carla. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"This is Wendy, Carla, and Gohan," Yuka answered for them. "Apparently Gohan knows Trunks."

"Is that so?" Ooba asked as she glanced at the Saiyan.

Gohan nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said while bowing.

Before Ooba could ask any more questions, Chelia had returned from the request Ooba had given her. "I'm sorry master, I wasn't able to find Trunks near the cliff," she told her before she took notice of the new faces standing amongst her guildmates. "Umm, who are you?" she asked the half Saiyan. "My name is Gohan, and this is Wendy and Carla," Gohan introduced himself and his guildmates. "We're members of Fairy Tail." "Fairy Tail, huh?" Chelia inquired, to which Gohan nodded in response. "Did you search well, child?" Ooba asked Chelia, getting back on topic. "I searched everywhere, but it seems that he already left. I thought that he returned, but I guess not," Chelia explained. "Well Gohan and Wendy, it seems Trunks hasn't returned yet. Feel free to stay here until he returns," Ooba offered the kids.

"Thank you," Gohan and Wendy thanked her.

"Well, I have a lot of work to do, but first, Gohan, would you follow me please?" Ooba spoke to the young Z Fighter. Gohan did as the Master of Lamia Scale requested and followed her into the guild master's room."Close the door." Gohan did as he was instructed. "So you know Trunks?" she questioned him, getting straight to the point. "Well, I do know him, but why the secrecy?" the monkey prince inquired. "Do you know where you are?" Ooba asked the boy. "What do you mean?" he asked. Master Ooba sighed before answering, "Trunks thinks that the both of you are in a different dimension." Gohan's eyes widened at what she said. "Well, that's just a theory since he has no official proof, but it's all he was able to understand."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that; however, everything here seems to be different from where I come from," Gohan stated.

Ooba sighed again before smiling. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to know," she told him. "Now run along, you shouldn't keep your little friend waiting, should you?"

Gohan bowed to the old Master before exiting her office. As soon as he closed the door, he was met by Wendy, Carla, and the guild members making their way toward him. "So what did she ask you?" Carla questioned the Demi Saiyan. Gohan shrugged. "Nothing, she just asked me if I really knew Trunks," he half-lied, though he felt bad about it. _"Ooba didn't want anyone else to hear our conversation, so I shouldn't tell them yet,"_ he thought. "Well, since you do know Trunks, may I ask you a question?" the God Slayer asked the Saiyan. Gohan nodded to tell her yes. "Are you as strong as Trunks?"

"Well, maybe. I can't exactly say who's stronger, though, since I haven't fought him before," Gohan replied.

"But you are strong, you defeated Natsu like he was nothing," Wendy argued.

"He defeated Natsu?" Jura inquired while the Sky maiden nodded.

"With one hit, too," she continued.

"Well that is definitely interesting, not many can defeat Salamander with ease," Yuka remarked as he remembered the time he fought Natsu and lost. The conversation was very long, but Gohan wasn't really paying attention; he was still thinking about Trunks' theory of them traveling to another dimension. The only thing that caught his interest in the chat was the things his fellow Saiyan did while he was here, like defeating the Wizard Saint Jura. "What's taking him so long?" Sherry huffed when the Saiyan Prince still did not return. "I'm sure he'll come soon. Besides, he didn't tell any of us if he'll be late or not," Chelia assured her cousin.

"Wendy, it's getting pretty late. We should head back to the guild," Carla suggested. The kids glanced out the window; they could see the sun was setting.

"Hey, you can stay here for the night," Sherry offered.

Gohan shook his head. "Sorry, but we can't. I told master I'll be returning tonight, so we'd better get going now," he decided.

"Aw, come on. What if he returns as soon as you leave?" Chelia inquired.

The Son of Goku just shrugged. "I'll just visit him some other time; maybe I'll come back tomorrow morning. It's no big deal," he insisted.

"Well, in that case, you better get going before it gets dark," Lyon said.

"Thank you," said Wendy. "We'll be heading back now," After saying their farewells, Gohan, Wendy, and Carla started to trek back to Fairy Tail; after a few minutes, Gohan spoke. "Wendy, Carla, we can get back to the guild much quicker if we just flew there. You guys okay with that?" Wendy nodded. "I guess we can do that," she said. "It would make the trip easier," the Exceed agreed. She then brought out her Aera wings and ascended into the sky while carrying her friend. Gohan smiled as he rose into the air and together the three flew straight toward their guild.

* * *

After meeting Jellal and the others, Trunks didn't go back to the cliff; instead, he did some training and was now resting in front of a waterfall which he found on his way to help Crime Sorciere. He didn't realize the sun was setting as the night loomed. _"I guess I could stay here for the night,"_ he thought as he closed his eyes and rested on the ground. He didn't really want to return to his guild since he hadn't come up with a reasonable answer to what he told Master Ooba; she would still want to know what he meant when he said he couldn't have many friends. Opening his eyes, he looked at the view of the waterfall and the animals, which was a rare sight for him since almost everything was destroyed in his homeworld. He closed his eyes once more, drifting into sleep as the wind breezed past his face.

* * *

After arriving at the guild, Gohan, Wendy, and Carla made their way into the guild hall's main lobby. Erza Scarlet quickly approached them. "So how did it go?" she asked them. Gohan shook his head. "He wasn't there. We waited for him, but decided to return before the night." "What do you mean he wasn't there?" Levy inquired as she joined the conversation. "Well, I think that he was on a nearby cliff, but they didn't find him there," Wendy explained. "So, what are you going to do, Gohan?" Gray asked. The Son of Goku shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to visit him some other time," he answered.

"I thought you wanted to see if he knew how to get you back home," Lucy said. "Don't you think you should see him tomorrow?"

Gohan face shifted into a sad look as he remembered what happened to him before he came to Earthland. How his father trusted him to defeat Cell but his hesitation led to his friends getting hurt and Sixteen's death, how his arrogance at wanting to torment Cell caused his father to sacrifice himself to save the Earth, and how Cell still survived his self-destruction and killed Trunks afterward. He wasn't sure if he could face his friends or his mother after all that happened at the Cell Games; his guildmates noticed the depression on the Demi Saiyan's face. "Actually I just wanted to make sure if Trunks was here or not, but since it seems like he is, I don't need to see him right away," Gohan told them. "I'm not really in a hurry to get home, so my visit can wait." The half Saiyan then left, silently walking toward the room where he stayed in.

Everyone stared at the Saiyan as he walked up the stairs. "Is he ok?" Romeo asked.

"He seems upset about something," Wendy observed.

"Do you think this has something to do with trying to see this Trunks guy?" Lucy inquired.

"It's possible," Erza responded. "Gohan did tell me the last time he saw his friend that he was dead and that he was to blame. Perhaps he feels guilty and that his friend may be upset with him."

"Hmm, I sense a great deal of sadness and guilt from that boy," Makarov said. "A child his age should not have this kind of weight on his shoulders."

"Well then, let's make him feel better!" Natsu cried. "He's a member of our guild, so we gotta help him!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

The Fire Dragon Slayer and his Exceed rushed to go upstairs to see the ox prince, but they were quickly stopped the Celestial Mage. "Hold on, Natsu, maybe we should give him some space," she suggested.

"Lucy is right, we should give the boy some time alone first," Makarov agreed. "If he's still feeling down, then we will intervene." After addressing the matter, the Titan Mage thought, _"I wonder just what that boy has been through."_

* * *

The next day, the guild members were going about their usual activities; some were taking job requests from the board (aside from Nab, who was just standing there) while others were just lounging around in the lobby. Natsu, Happy, and the Strauss siblings had just gotten back doing some outside work; the fire dragon slayer immediately went to sleep, the blue exceed sat down with Wendy, Carla, and Lucy after ordering a bowl of fish, and the Take Over mages went to comingle. "Wow, another one? What gives?" the Celestial mage questioned while reading the newspaper.

"Did something happen?" Kinana asked as she brought a bowl of fish to Happy.

"Someone's been setting fire to churches," Wendy replied.

"That's a sadistic hobby," Carla noted.

"I know him!" Lucy exclaimed as she pulled the paper closer and saw a picture of a man named Mr. Lahar. "He works for the Council."

"Seven years and he hasn't stopped frowning," Happy commented. "Natsu, look."

The fire dragon slayer was still snoozing soundly on the floor, completely unaware of the outside world. "He's dead to the world, isn't he?" Romeo said as he stared at the pink-haired mage.

"Brain dead and oblivious is pretty much all he is," Lucy answered.

"I can't believe someone would set fire to churches; times have changed," Happy commented.

"I'm having trouble catching everything," Wendy said.

"Not to mention our seven-year cat nap destroyed my future sight; the future is nothing but fuzzy pictures to me now," Carla spoke.

"That's not good," Wendy replied.

"It's quite annoying," the white Exceed agreed. Just then, the Demi Saiyan came downstairs and was greeted by his fellow guildmates before he came to the table where Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Lucy were sitting. "Well, good morning, child," Carla greeted him.

"Hey, guys," Gohan said back.

"Good morning, Gohan," Wendy greeted him. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine, I just came to see what you guys were talking about," Gohan replied. "It sounded kinda serious."

"It is; someone's been sitting fire to churches," Lucy explained. "The Magic Council is having a difficult time catching the culprit."

Gohan nodded, he didn't need to ask about the Magic Council since Master Makarov already told him about them. He found it hard to believe that an organization of high mages could have problems with Fairy Tail, but the Master told him that their guild had a habit of destroying properties, breaking small rules, and pretty much causing trouble. Gohan was a bit worried about that, but Makarov assured him that the Council is mostly made up of stuck-up jerks and that Fairy Tail hasn't actually done anything to get the Council to disband them so they usually just send paperwork or give a few warnings. "Why would set fire to churches?" Gohan asked.

"No one knows why, just that over 30 churches have been reduced to ashes," Wendy answered. "Not even Natsu could cause that much damage."

"Maybe not intentionally, but he could accidentally," Lucy remarked.

"Still, it's disturbing that an arsonist is destroying churches specifically," Carla said.

"Yeah, we've met a lot of horrible people, but none of them have done something like this before," Happy stated.

"Believe me, Happy, I've met people who've done even worse things," Gohan said. He started to remember his adventure on Namek where Frieza and his men wiped out the Namekian villages before detonating the planet in pursuit of the Dragon Balls, or how Cell killed/absorbed countless people and destroyed numerous cities just to get stronger and achieve perfection. Not liking the dread in the air, the Fairies decided to change the subject.

"So Gohan, you going to visit Lamia Scale to see your friend today?" Lucy inquired.

"Actually, I was hoping to take this time to explore Magnolia," Gohan replied. "I don't usually get or travel to different places, so I'd like to now."

"If you wanna see Magnolia, I'm sure Wendy would be happy to show you around," Lucy suggested while smiling innocently.

"W-What?! Me?!" the nervous Sky mage exclaimed. "I-I'm sure that Gohan would prefer to go on his own."

"Nonsense, child, if Gohan wishes to see Magnolia, he'd better take someone who knows the town with him," Carla argued.

"Besides, I'd like it better if someone my age was showing me around this place; I don't have that many agemates or friends at home," Gohan said. "Do you think you could show me around later, Wendy?"

The Sky dragon slayer looked unsure if she should say yes, but she eventually nodded and replied, "Ok, I'll show you around Gohan. It could be fun."

"Thanks, Wendy." Gohan smiled, making the sky maiden blush. He suddenly started sniffing the air. "What's that smell?"

The Fire dragon slayer then woke up and started sniffing as well. "That's a weird smell," he muttered.

"Sleeping beauty's up," Happy said while munching on a fish.

"Hey Lucy, you have a visitor!" Romeo called, getting everyone's attention. He was standing at the entrance with a blonde-haired woman who looked to be in her twenties wearing a large pink dress and carrying a large briefcase. "The blonde hair with the pigtails is the one you want," Romeo told the girl as he pointed at Lucy.

"Thank you for the help, young man," the girl thanked him before she approached the Celestial Mage.

"Who's that girl?" Natsu asked.

"No idea," Lucy replied. She could only stare at this girl in confusion, but she wasn't the only one. Gohan stared at this visitor as he tried to sense her Ki. _"Weird, her energy feels off, and it's not like any of the mages I've met. It's like...her life force is not he_ _r own,"_ he thought as the girl started to speak to Lucy.

"Excuse me, are you Lucy Heartfilia?" the girl asked with a smile.

"Yes ma'am, I'm a Heartfilia, but who's asking?" Lucy questioned as she stood up.

"Who am...I?" the girl repeated in a stutter. Her smile shifted into a frown as her eyes got watery; she soon let out the waterworks while screaming, "How could you forget your dear Michelle Lobster, you meanie!" Her outburst was so strong, everyone within range was blown back a bit, including Gohan; the half Saiyan covered his ears to prevent permanent ear damage due to his stronger sense of hearing. Lucy stared at the crying girl named Michelle Lobster in shock. "Say what?!" she asked.

"Her tears are like waterfalls," Wendy noted.

"Way to be a jerk, Lucy," Natsu said.

Michelle finally stopped crying and smiled again. "I'm so sorry. I guess I shouldn't expect you to remember after such a long time."

"Would you like some tissue?" Kinana offered.

"How could you forget a person like that?" Elfman whispered while nudging Lucy.

"Elfman, I hate you!" she yelled.

"Allow me to start over, I am Michelle Lobster of the Lobster family," Michelle introduced herself. "It's so good to see you again, big sister Lucy."

"Hold on..." Lucy said just before her and most of the guild members screamed, "SISTER!"

" _Wow! This is almost as awkward as the time my Dad found out he had an older brother,"_ Gohan thought as he covered his ears again.

After Michelle explained that she wasn't actually Lucy's sister but her distant relative due to the Lobster family and the Heartfilia family being related and that Lucy's older than her chronologically, she went on to talk about the suitcase she was carrying which apparently was meant for Lucy. Lucy, Wendy, and Kinana struggled to move the case after Michelle dropped it before Gohan took it off their hands and placed it on the table. "Ok, so what the heck is in this thing?" Lucy questioned. "I'm not sure honestly, all I know is that your father wanted you to have it," Michelle said sadly, causing Lucy to gasp at this information. "I was his assistant until just a short while ago, and this is my final errand for him. He passed the case to me while he was on his deathbed. So here we are, my last assignment to Mr. Jude has come to an end."

"His final moments and you rested there with him," Lucy stated.

"He never stopped worrying about you after you went missing all those years ago," Michelle continued. "But he was sure that you were alive somewhere; it's because he held onto that hope that he asked me to find you and give you his memento. He passed peacefully as he went to sleep and since then I've searched for you. Finding you has been my sole purpose. And now that's it's all done, I think Mr. Jude can finally rest in peace."

Lucy's face showed depression as she stared the suitcase. "So, what's in it?" she asked.

"I don't know, I was only told to deliver it, so I never looked inside to see for myself," Michelle revealed.

"Thanks, Michelle," Lucy muttered while still glancing at the suitcase.

"Open it up!" Natsu suggested, getting Lucy's attention. "Don't leave her hanging like this. Seriously, she busted her butt getting this thing here, the least you do is let her see it. So hurry up, everyone's waiting!"

"O-Ok," Lucy complied. She unlocked the suitcase and opened it up; inside the case was a long object fully wrapped in a bandage. Natsu and Lucy looked underwhelmed at seeing her father's memento. "Can I close it now?"

"Smells funky," Natsu commented.

"Maybe it's this cloth," Lucy suggested as she picked it up.

Natsu took a few more sniffs at it. "Nah, it's got some kind of magic on it, but whatever it is, it smells ancient," he said.

Carla suddenly started shaking while looking terrified. "You ok, Carla?" Wendy asked her cat.

"Maybe she has gas," Happy stupidly suggested.

"Oh, it's nothing," Carla said.

Lucy unwrapped the object, only to find an even stranger object within the bandage. "Michelle, what is this exactly?" Lucy asked her new sister. "I assume it's something Mr. Jude was fond of," Michelle replied. "Does it look familiar?" "Not really, I don't remember seeing anything like this around the house," Lucy said. "Huh? Maybe it's a weapon," Natsu suggested as he held the memento. "Somehow I doubt that," Lucy shot that theory down. "I just remembered!" Michelle announced getting everyone's attention, only to get their hopes down when she said, "I haven't eaten anything in three days!"

* * *

Later, the time traveler had finally woken up from his sleep; he sat up and rubbed his eyes before using the water from the waterfall to wash his face. By looking at the sun that high in the sky, he was able to deduce that it was noon. _"Looks like I slept longer than I intended,"_ Trunks thought. _"I just hope Master Ooba forgot about what I said."_ He quickly ascended to the air and flew toward his guild. In mere minutes, the Demi Saiyan found himself at the Lamia Scale guild; he opened the door and entered the guild hall. Everyone was rather quiet, that is, until Sherry appeared in front of him and screamed, "Where have you been?!" Trunks instinctively covered his ears to protect his Saiyan hearing. "I was training," he quickly answered, hoping that she wouldn't scream again.

"Calm down, Sherry," Yuka huffed.

"Well Trunks, you had a visitor yesterday," Jura stated in a calm voice.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "A visitor?" he asked.

"Does the name Son Gohan ring a bell?" Lyon questioned.

Trunks' eyes widened after hearing his friend's name "Gohan came here yesterday?" he asked, stunned.

"Yes, but he left because you weren't here," Sherry told him.

"Where is he now?" Trunks inquired.

"He went back to Fairy Tail. Apparently, he's a member there," Chelia replied.

"Do you know where Fairy Tail is?" Trunks asked.

"Fairy Tail is in a small tavern that lies on top of a small hill just outside of Magnolia," Lyon explained.

"Thanks, I'll go see him then," Trunks said. "Be back later,"

"Wait!" Sherry screamed again, forcing the poor Saiyan to cover his ears. He quickly shrugged it off and turned to face her. "Gohan said he'd come here again today."

"But he said he would be here in the morning," Lyon stated. "If he's not here by now, then he's late."

"Sherry is right and so is Lyon. He'll probably come here tonight, but you can still go to Fairy Tail; you might meet your friend halfway if he still plans on coming," Jura said. Trunks nodded.

"To get to Magnolia, you can go by foot and follow the signs that will lead to the town, or you can go by train," Chelia suggested.

"Thanks!" Trunks shouted as he left the guild hall and headed toward Fairy Tail.

* * *

The Demi Saiyan and the Sky maiden were walking the streets of Magnolia together along with the white Exceed. After they all met Michelle Lobster, Lucy decided to take her new sister to her apartment. Gohan had finished eating and decided now was the best time to explore the town. As the three fairies strolled through Magnolia, Gohan noticed how happy the people were. "Wow, this town's so full of life. It's like I can feel everyone's joy here," Gohan observed. "I can't remember going to a town like this one back at my home."

"Magnolia is one of the happiest towns in Fiore, our guild has a great influence on the people here," Wendy explained.

"Despite all the foolishness and chaos our guild causes, we're still a loving family, so the people of this town tend to give us their support every once in a while," Carla added.

"Must feel nice to know that a whole town has faith in you," Gohan said.

"It does. So where do you wanna go first, Gohan?" Wendy asked.

The son of Goku shrugged. "I was planning on letting you decide, you're my guide after all," he replied.

Wendy blushed a bit. "Okay, how about we go to the Kardia Cathedral," she suggested. She grabbed the Saiyan's hand and led him through the town with Carla flying after them. They stopped at a church building in the center of the whole town. "Welcome to the Kardia Cathedral!" Wendy announced.

Gohan stared at the service hall in awe. "It looks like a church hall. I've never been to one before," he said.

"Don't they have churches where you're from, child?" Carla questioned.

"They probably do, I just haven't been taken to one. I don't really get out much unless it has something to do with fighting," Gohan answered.

"Well, you're right, Gohan. This is a church building, but it's more important than that," Wendy said. "Back when Laxus was a bad guy and still a member of our guild, this was the place where he waited for one of our members to challenge him during the battle of Fairy Tail."

"Battle of Fairy Tail?" Gohan asked.

"Carla and I weren't members at the time so we don't really know how it happened, but we know that the members present had to fight each other as well as Laxus and the Thunder Legion," Wendy explained. "Laxus had tried to take over the guild by force, so he set up this game for every member of Fairy Tail."

"He had most of the female members turned to stone and held hostage; he threatened to destroy the town with the Thunder Palace, he used the Fairy Law spell, which could've killed everyone in Magnolia, and he was even willing to let his own grandfather die from the strain his heart suffered from the chaos he caused," Carla went on.

"I know it sounds like he was a bad guy, but he actually wasn't," Wendy defended her fellow Dragon Slayer. "He was just doing what he thought was right for the guild, and even though he used Fairy Law, no one was harmed since he didn't see anyone as his enemy."

"I suppose you're right, child; he did regret his actions after his plan failed," Carla amended. "Even his followers didn't like the idea of this game."

Gohan nodded in understanding. He knew that most of the allies he fought alongside started out as his father's enemies, like Piccolo and Vegeta. Now each one of them had people they cared about and found new reasons for fighting and getting stronger. "So who defeated Laxus?"

"Natsu and Erza found Laxus in the Kardia Cathedral. Erza left to take care of the Thunder Palace while Natsu fought Laxus alone," Wendy explicated. "Gajeel came to back him up, and in the end, Natsu managed to finish the fight."

"They also learned that Laxus was a Dragon Slayer like them and Wendy, except that he's a Second Generation Dragon Slayer," Carla added.

"Second Generation?" Gohan inquired.

"Laxus has a Dragon Lacrima implanted in his body, which is how he can use Dragon Slayer magic," Wendy explained. "Natsu, Gajeel, and I are First generation since we were taught by dragons." Gohan nodded, then noticed something; looking behind the Kardia Cathedral, he saw a gravestone with Lisanna's name on it. "Uh, why is there a grave for Lisanna here?" he asked. "Mira and Elfman made that for Lisanna seven years ago, when they thought she was dead," Wendy answered. "This is also the place where the siblings were reunited." Wendy then took his hand to lead the Saiyan somewhere else. The three journeyed to another part of the town where Wendy showed Gohan a dormitory that stood on top of a hill. "This is Fairy Hills, where the girls of Fairy Tail aside from Lucy, Mira, and Lisanna live," Wendy explained. "Boys aren't allowed inside; the only exception is Happy since he's not human."

The three then moved onto the southeastern part of the Magnolia, where Wendy showed Gohan the Magnolia train station. In the west part, they saw the toy store and the magic store. As the three explored the city, the Saiyan saw the town's bakery, book store, hospital, cake shop, public bath, and Lucy's apartment. Gohan was amazed at all the sights he was able to see in this large town. "Wow, there are so many places in this town. I've never been to any of these places when I was home," Gohan stated.

"Sounds like you lived a pretty sheltered life, child," Carla noted.

"You have no idea, the only time I got out was basically to fight someone," he explained. "Thanks again for showing me around today."

"It's no problem. You're a part of our guild, so I'm happy to help a new member of our family," Wendy assured.

"Plus, if you're going to stay here than you need to be able to know this town very well, especially when you might be helping to destroy some of it," Carla remarked.

"Carla, that's not very nice!" Wendy scolded.

"I'm just saying that in case the guild's craziness rubs off on him; it sure got you to go along with everyone's shenanigans," Carla said.

"Don't worry Carla, I'll try to keep the damage at a minimum," Gohan joked which made the Sky maiden giggle and the white Exceed frown."I suppose I shouldn't be too worried; you may be strong for your age but I doubt you can destroy an entire town," Carla commented. "Uh, actually..." Gohan began, but stopped himself. Wendy quickly changed the topic. "Why don't we get back to exploring the town." The three then journeyed to another part of the town where they came across a large building with the same Fairy Tail sign and logo as the guild hall they were currently staying in. "Uh, why is there another guild hall for Fairy Tail?" the Saiyan asked.

"Oh, this was actually our first guild hall, but after most of us spent seven years on Tenrou island, our remaining members were unable to pay the rent for this one," Wendy explained.

"Wow, sounds like you guys have a lot to make up for," Gohan said.

"Yes child, we do," Carla agreed. "Fairy Tail has really suffered a lot in the last seven years. People have gotten older, new guilds have appeared, and our guild has been ranked as the lowest now; this new world will take some getting used to."

"But these changes will never get us," Wendy declared. "We'll keep moving forward, getting stronger, and we'll always stick together!"

"But how can you stay positive after all that's happened?" Gohan questioned.

"We just follow our hearts," Carla answered. "It's how our guild is."

"When we're together, we feel each other's pain as well as our joy; we support each other and treat each other like family," Wendy said as she smiled. "Since you're a member of our family now, that means you have to learn the Fairy Tail way, and we'll be sure to help you!"

"Now children, shall we continue our tour?" Carla asked. Gohan and Wendy nodded and the three continued to venture through the town of Magnolia.

* * *

Trunks landed just outside the town of Magnolia and started using the road signs to try and find the Fairy Tail guild. _"According to Lyon, Fairy Tail should be outside the town,"_ he thought as he slowly floated in the air and scanned the area. He finally spotted something that resembled a small farmhouse; he descended right in front of the door. He reluctantly knocked on the door, only for it to open with his knock. The guild looked deserted. _"Where is everybody? Isn't this the place?"_ he wondered. "Good morning, can I help you?" asked someone from behind the Saiyan. Trunks turned around to see a short, old man standing behind him. "Umm, excuse me, sir, but I was looking for Gohan," Trunks explained.

Makarov eyed him. "And who might you be?" he questioned.

"I'm a friend of his," Trunks replied.

"Well then, shall we go in?" Makarov asked. Trunks nodded as he followed the guild master inside. "Are you Trunks Briefs, by any chance?" he questioned, and Trunks nodded again in response. "Hello Trunks, my name is Makarov. Well, first of all, I would like to thank you for saving one of our members a couple of days ago."

"No need to thank me, I just did what was right," Trunks answered.

Makarov nodded. "I'm sorry, but Gohan just left this morning with a couple of our guild members," he said.

Trunks sighed before asking, "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I was told that he wanted to see the town of Magnolia, but he didn't specify where exactly," Makarov replied.

Trunks nodded. "I should probably get going. I'm sorry for bothering you, sir," he said.

"Nonsense, feel free to visit anytime," Makarov responded.

Before Trunks was able to leave, he heard a gasp; turning around, his eyes met the all-too familiar blue eyes of the white-haired Take Over mage he saved. Mirajane was standing there along with Lisanna, Cana, and Elfman. Mirajane was standing at the opposite side of the guild's door. Her wide eyes never left his; Trunks noticed that one of the girls with Mira greatly resembled her. "Mirajane, why did you stop?" Cana asked. She looked at Mirajane who seemed to be in a trance; tracing her eyesight, her eyes fell upon the Saiyan Prince.

"Do you know this guy, Mira?" Lisanna inquired, but got no answer.

Master Makarov then cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone except Mirajane. "Cana, Elfman, Lisanna, this young man is Trunks. He's a friend of Gohan's," he explained.

The three mages' eyes were now wide like Mira's. "Don't tell me he's the one who..." Elfman trailed off.

"Yes, this is the man that saved Mirajane the other day," Makarov answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Trunks said as he bowed to the mages; he then looked at Mirajane who was still her trance and smiled. "You're name's Mirajane, right? Nice to see you've recovered, how have you been?" he asked her as he extended his hand. When she did not attempt to move, Trunks retracted his hand and asked, "Um, are you alright?"

"Snap out of it, Mira!" Cana shouted. She shook the bartender girl, forcing her out of her daze. "What's with you?"

No longer in a trance, Mira spoke. "Oh, it's nothing."

Trunks felt the awkwardness in the room; he then turned to the 3rd guild master and spoke. "I guess I'd better get going." Makarov nodded. The half Saiyan then turned to exit the guild. "Wait!" a voice said from behind him; he immediately turned to face the white-haired girl who was walking toward him. "I never had a chance to properly thank you, did I?" she asked as she now stood right in front of the Saiyan teen. Trunks shrugged and said, "Think nothing of it, I was just trying to help..." He was suddenly interrupted when Mirajane hugged him. Trunks' body tensed since he didn't know what to do; he's never been this close to a girl before, and he wasn't all that good at expressing his emotions. He felt stupid, not to mention embarrassed, just standing there while Mirajane embraced him. As soon as Mira broke the hug, he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Come on, Trunks, I want you to meet my friend and my siblings over there," Mira said. Before Trunks could come up with a good excuse, Mirajane dragged him to the group of three that were standing with her moments ago. Lisanna and Elfman were listening to the conversation between Mira and Trunks, as was Cana, who grabbed herself a drink. "Trunks, this is my little sister, Lisanna," Mira introduced her sister to the Saiyan.

Lisanna smiled at Trunks and said, "Hello Trunks, nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Trunks responded.

"This is my younger brother, Elfman," Mira went on to introduce her brother to the hybrid.

Trunks shook hands with Elfman. "You're a real man!" Elfman exclaimed, confusing him.

"Uh thanks, you too," Trunks replied.

"And finally, this is Cana—Cana, when did you get that?" Mirajane inquired, pointing to the mug in her hand.

"Got it while you were getting all sentimental with him," Cana answered while pointing at Trunks; she then raised an eyebrow when she found out he was staring at her. "What are you staring at? Never seen a girl drink, huh?" Cana asked before she smirked "Or is it the first time you've seen breasts as big as mine?" Trunks blushed furiously. _"What's wrong with the girls in this dimension?"_ thought Trunks. "Well, I'm waiting," Cana stated impatiently. "Well, it's just…uh…. I mean…" To say that Cana was enjoying this was indeed an understatement.

Lisanna came to Trunks' rescue, much to the Card Mage's dismay. "Cana, leave the poor boy alone." Trunks shot Lisanna a thankful look. "But I have to admit he is pretty cute," Lisanna said with a giggle, causing Cana to smirk. Once again, Trunks blushed.

Feeling a pat on his back, he turned his head to see Elfman. "You'll get used to it," he sympathized, remembering how they teased him about Evergreen.

"Well, it's nice you all got to know each other, but I believe Trunks was heading somewhere," Makarov spoke up, eyeing Trunks.

Trunks nodded. "Thank you for your kindness, but I need to get going."

"Why? You just got here," Mirajane asked with a hint of sadness.

"To be honest, I need to find Gohan. Master Makarov told me that he went to town with some of the guild's members," the time traveler answered.

"Oh, he went into town with Wendy and Carla," Lisanna explained. "He said he wanted to see the town so Wendy said she'd show him around."

"Ok, then I'll try to see if I can find him," Trunks decided. The half Saiyan turned to exit the door. "See ya later," he said as he waved and left the guild hall. He made sure he was out of sight before taking off into the air, heading toward the town of Magnolia.

* * *

Back with Gohan, the ox prince was led to the northern part of town, where he and his guildmates stopped at a certain lake. "This is Lake Sciliora, another place in Magnolia that's significant to Fairy Tail," Wendy revealed.

"Indeed, it was here the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord was concluded," Carla said.

"Wasn't Phantom Lord Gajeel's old guild?" Gohan inquired. "Why were you guys at war with them?"

"From what Lucy told us, Phantom Lord was a rival guild. After Lucy joined Fairy Tail, her father hired Phantom Lord to bring her back to him," Wendy explicated.

"The guild master of Phantom Lord, Master Jose, used that to start a war with them. Fairy Tail's members were getting more famous and the guild was climbing the ranks," Carla continued. "Wendy and I weren't members at that time either; in fact Gajeel and Juvia were members of that guild and a part of that war."

"Really?" Gohan asked in surprise. "They seem like nice people."

"Yeah, but they used to be Fairy Tail's enemies," Wendy said.

"It was Natsu who beat Gajeel and Gray beat Juvia," Carla revealed. "And in the end, Fairy Tail won the war. Afterward, Juvia wanted to join to be close to her love and to have friends and she invited Gajeel so that he wouldn't be lonely."

"So are all of Fairy Tail members well-known?" Gohan questioned.

"Kinda, some of those who are S-class have titles, along with Natsu and Gajeel," Wendy explained. "Natsu is known as Salamander, Gajeel is Black Steel, Erza is Titania, Queen of the Fairies, Gildarts is the Ace of Fairy Tail, and Mirajane is the She Devil."

"Yes, our memebers have interesting titles to match their destructive capabilities," Carla remarked. "Pretty soon the two of you will have monster names as well."

"So, where to next?" Gohan asked.

"Oh, there's one more place I wanna show you, it's the best one yet!" Wendy said enthusiastically; she grabbed the half Saiyan's hand again and rushed off. The Dragon Slayer led the Z Fighter to the southern part of town where they entered the park. "This is the South Gate Park. We come here for the Blossom Viewing Festival, and this..." Wendy told him before she brought him over to a large tree with pink leaves. "… is the Sakura Cherry Blossom tree."

"Wow, it's beautiful," Gohan observed as he stared at the tree in awe.

"You should see it during the Blossom Viewing Festival child," Carla said.

"Yeah, every year on the Blossom Viewing Festival, the Sakura Cherry Blossom's leaves turn rainbow colored. It's very beautiful when the leaves fall," Wendy explained.

"Maybe if I stick around long enough, I'll get to see it," Gohan commented before he sat down a rested against the pink tree. "Do you mind if we just sit down to take a small break?"

"Of course not," Wendy replied as she sat beside him and Carla sat in her lap; she then asked, "So what do you think of Magnolia, Gohan?"

"It's a lovely town, so many sights and sounds everywhere, and this place is so lively," Gohan answered. "I definitely wouldn't mind staying here for a while."

"And the guild?" Wendy inquired.

"It sure seems like a fun place to be and everyone's great to be around," Gohan said. "I can see why you enjoy being a member; your guild's really special!"

"It's not just our guild anymore, child," Carla corrected him. "You have the mark of Fairy Tail, which means it's your guild now, too."

"But I can't stay here, I still need to get home," Gohan reasoned.

"It doesn't matter if you stay or not, you'll always be a part of our guild!" Wendy told him. "We accept all who truly wish to join our guild, and no matter where we go, we will always carry each other in our hearts."

"Thank you both for comforting me," said Gohan; he then looked down as if he was wondering about something. "Hey Wendy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Gohan," Wendy allowed.

"What's it like being around all your guild mates?" Gohan inquired.

"What do you mean, Gohan?"

"I mean aside from Romeo, Asuka, and myself, you're clearly the youngest member," Gohan explained. "And since you're a Dragon Slayer, you clearly have the potential to be stronger than some of your fellow mages, but you're inexperienced compared to them, so what does it feel like when you're around them? Most of my friends who fight by my side are years older than me and have more experience, and every time I'm around them, I can't help but feel..."

"Inferior," Wendy supplied. "Like I don't fit in, like I'm just slowing them down."

The two children looked down in depression. "My comrades always seem to believe in, they say I'm really strong for my age, my father even thinks that I could be stronger than him," Gohan continued. "But every time I'm on the battlefield with them, it's like my inhibitions take over and I start to doubt myself."

"I know how you feel," Wendy agreed. "Whenever I'm with Natsu or Gajeel or anyone from my team, I feel so afraid that I become a burden instead of helping. I don't like fighting much, and my shyness makes me hold back a lot, and even though I want to help, I can't seem to do that right and I end up making mistakes that could endanger my friends."

"No matter how hard I try..." Gohan began.

"I can never seem to be like one of them," Wendy finished.

"What can I do to change?" they both questioned in unison.

"What are you children talking about?! Who says you need to change?!" Carla yelled, getting Gohan and Wendy's attention. "You two are a lot alike; you're both strong children with the power to keep up with your older allies and you both want to help people any way you can! So stop doubting yourselves; your friends believe in you and you have nothing to prove to them, just yourselves, and that there's nothing that will stop you from protecting your loved ones and fighting for what's right!"

The Sky maiden and the Demi Saiyan smiled after hearing the white Exceed's advice. "You're right, Carla, we shouldn't care that we're younger than most of our friends," Wendy said. "All that matters is that we want do what we can to help people and protect our friends."

"As long we work hard, keep trying, and never give up, we'll prove to everyone, even ourselves, that there's nothing we can't do," Gohan agreed. "Thanks for the advice, Carla."

"You're welcome, child," Carla responded before suggesting, "Now, I think it's about time we head back to the guild."

"Actually, can we stay here a little while longer? I'm not in any hurry to go back to the guild," Wendy said.

"Wise decision, child. We wouldn't want to get involved in the guild's daily roughhousing," Carla decided after a moment of thought. "Such behavior is for savages, not innocent children."

"Aw, come on, Carla, I don't think they're that bad," Gohan disagreed.

"Just stay with us for a week and we'll see if your opinion on those hooligans will change," the Exceed insisted.

Gohan, Wendy, and Carla rested against the Sakura Cherry Blossom tree while its leaves fell and watched as the citizens of Magnolia roamed through the park. They were so comfortable that none of them bothered to look up and see the lavender-haired Saiyan flying high above the park. Trunks was unable to locate his comrade since, from the height he was flying, he couldn't see Gohan sitting beside the Sakura Cherry Blossom tree and he still hadn't learned how to sense Ki in a place where magic energy outweighed a person's life force energy. " _Dammit, I can't find him anywhere,"_ Trunks thought. _"He must not be around here, I guess I'll have to try again another time, maybe I'll have better luck then."_ He then looked at the town of Magnolia and began to admire its beauty and liveliness. _"This sure is a great place, I hope Gohan is at least enjoying himself here. He deserves to relax after all he's been through, especially after the Cell Games!"_ He then flew in the opposite direction of the city, heading back toward the Lamia Scale guild. _"At least the trip wasn't a total bust; I got to see Mirajane again."_

* * *

 **Days Later**

Gohan was now fully acquainted with the town of Magnolia and Michelle was a well-known person at the guild. The half Saiyan was okay with her and like everyone else, found her to be adorable; he also got used to the rowdiness in his guild and was starting to feel like one of the family. Sometime later, when team Natsu minus Wendy and Carla had gone on a mission to capture bandits with Michelle, he heard how Master Macao had sent someone to do a background check on Michelle Lobster; the news that the Lobster family was a wealthy one before they were wiped out in a tragic accident made him feel pity for Michelle and understand why she seemed to value her sister-like relationship with Lucy.

The day after that, Michelle and Lucy had requested to put finding out what Jude Heartfilia's memento was as a job request; once they got the permission to do so, Michelle brought out the object but tripped, causing her to drop it. The item then started levitating on its own, and as it did, strange writing started to appear on it. _"I've never seen writing like that before,"_ Gohan thought.

"I'm seriously freaked out right now," Lucy stated.

"What's with the writing?" Gray questioned. "Is it some kind of ancient script?"

"If it is, Levy could read it!" Lucy declared.

"She left with Shadow Gear this morning for a job across Fiore," Makarov informed them. "Freed is gone, too."

"What do you think it's trying to tell us, big sister?" Michelle asked Lucy.

"I wish I knew," the celestial mage replied.

"Can't you read ancient graffiti too, old man?" Natsu asked the 3rd Master.

Makarov thought for a moment before saying, "Listen closely, I think you should let sleeping dogs lie."

"What are you talking about?" a surprised Lucy asked. "I can't; I'll solve it!" The blonde mage's face showed determination as she stared at her father's gift; it was clear she wouldn't rest until she found out its meaning.

 **A/N: Finally finished this chapter! Now it's official, I'm doing the Key to the Starry Heavens arc. I know this chapter may not be all that accurate but it was the best I could do since I don't have my own computer, and my computer rights have been reduced, so updates my come by slower than usual, especially when I'm also working on other fanfics just to get the ideas out of my head before I forget them completely. Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter as I had to mix some of Revolve X's original chapter 7 and 8 to make it work and please stay tuned, you might like the next chapter. It's called Turbulent Showdown – Gohan vs Laxus! That's right, I'm making the son of Goku take on Makarov's grandson. I have a pretty good idea of how the fights going to go, but you're all welcome to tell me your opinions on where Laxus' power level stands.**

 **Recommendations - New Face of Justice and Living the Past by Comore677**

 **Vegito the new warrior of universe six by Vegitossgss2**

 **Escalation by heroman45**

 **This War of Mine by Sivam-Surprise**

 **Misplaced by Maximillian Havisham**

 **Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alright, it's time for the chapter you've all been waiting for: Gohan vs. Laxus! I couldn't wait to get this chapter done, so I was kind of excited and rushed it a bit. I've officially taken off the poll on the Key to the Starry Heavens; big thanks to those who voted and/or sent reviews! Hope I don't mess this up, I got a pretty good idea of how this arc will go. As I've been asked a few times, I'll let you all know that Mirai Trunks will not be a part of this arc despite Lamia Scale's involvement, but Gohan will be a part of it. And now without further ado, let's get back to the story; enjoy the fight!**

 **Disclaimer – I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail**

 **Chapter 8 – Turbulent Showdown! Gohan vs. Laxus!**

The son of Goku was currently near the lake, fishing in the East Forest with the son of Igneel and his blue Exceed. Gohan had decided since Lucy and Michelle were busy trying to find out what that writing on her father's memento was and Wendy and Carla had gone into town, that he'd spend some time with Natsu and Happy. Although he and Happy were getting into it, Natsu was bored and began to doze off. "This is so boring," Natsu complained.

"Come on, it's a matter of lunch or death here, Natsu!" Happy said. "How can anyone be bored by that?"

"Ok, I'll snap out of it, I promise," the fire mage said seconds before he dozed off again.

"Are you kidding me?!" Happy yelled in disbelief.

"You should see the fish where I'm from, Happy," Gohan told the cat. "They're too hard to catch like this since it only makes them jump out at you, so it's best to jump in the water to get them."

"Catching fish must be impossible where you're from, Gohan," Happy noted. "Do people go hungry when they can't catch a fish?"

"Actually, they're easy to catch for me and my dad. Even though they're huge, we still manage to catch a boatload," Gohan replied.

"What?! The fish are big at your home?!" the cat asked.

"Oh yeah, they're enormous. Some of the biggest ones I've seen are about Natsu's size," Gohan revealed. "Some can even talk."

The blue Exceed began to drool as he thought about giant talking fish. "I bet they taste great," he said as he licked his lips. "Gohan, you've gotta take me to your home one of these days!"

Gohan smiled at the cat. "If I ever find a way home, I'll be sure to take you there," the Saiyan promised. "There's a talking, flying cat there too; his name's Puar."

"Really? Is he an Exceed?" Happy inquired.

"I don't think so. He doesn't use magic wings to fly, but he does transform," Gohan explained. "Although he doesn't do people very well, he can do animals and objects pretty good."

"Giant talking fishies and a transforming cat; your home sounds pretty interesting, Gohan!" Happy remarked.

Gohan nodded before saying, "Yeah, it does." Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, a result of Laxus' small scuffle with a Vulcan. Natsu, Gohan, and Happy noticed it, along with Gajeel Redfox, and the Thunder Legion. "What was that?" the Z fighter questioned.

"I know what that means," Natsu said as he stood, sounding serious.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Happy asked his friend.

"Laxus is here," the Dragon Slayer answered.

"What?" Happy replied.

"Laxus? Are you sure, Natsu?" Gohan asked.

"I'm positive it's him. I was wondering where he had run off to," Natsu said. "I guess he picked the wrong neighborhood."

"But master didn't let him get back into the guild, did he?" the cat wondered as he dropped his fishing rod. "I wonder what he's doing around here."

"Do you think Laxus is in trouble?" Gohan questioned.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out!" Natsu proclaimed before running off.

"Hey Natsu, wait for me!" Happy cried as he flew after his friend.

Thanks to his time at the guild, Gohan knew that Natsu liked to challenge many of its strongest members to a fight; specifically, the S-Class mages, Gray, and Gajeel. He was pretty sure that if Laxus was here, then Natsu was most likely going to fight him. From what he heard, Laxus was much stronger than Natsu, so this would probably be an exciting fight. Gohan remembered how his dad loved to fight against strong opponents even if they were stronger than himself. Thinking that the Fire Dragon Slayer reminded him of his dad once again, the Demi Saiyan decided to follow him. It wasn't long before Gohan had caught up to Natsu and Happy; as the three were moving through the forest, Black Steel suddenly showed up ran up beside them. "Hey Gajeel," Gohan greeted.

"Hey, kid," Gajeel greeted back.

"What's up, metalhead?" Natsu asked.

"None of your business, flame brain!" Gajeel replied.

"You going somewhere?" Natsu continued to ask.

"Why? Are you?" Gajeel shot back.

"I asked you first, didn't I?!" Natsu argued.

"Yeah, who cares?!" Gajeel countered.

Realizing that they were both going to the same place, the two First Generation Dragon Slayers struggled to get ahead of each other and reach the Second Generation Dragon Slayer first. "You ain't following me!" Natsu yelled as he ran faster.

"I don't wanna, so get lost!" Gajeel shouted. The two mages eventually stopped running and glared at each other. Gohan chuckled as he thought the two Dragon Slayers reminded him of his father's rivalry with Vegeta; two warriors of the same kind, both with the desire to be the strongest.

"Would you two cut it out already! We need to go see what that random lightning strike was about!" Happy reminded them.

"What?! I already told you it was Laxus!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm gonna go put the smackdown on him!"

"Please! You don't have a snowball's chance in hell against him!" Gajeel stated. "Remember last time?" The two Dragon Slayers reminisced on the last time they fought Makarov's grandson; despite their teamwork leading to Natsu defeating the Lightning Dragon Slayer, it was the Fire and Iron mages who ended up in bandages from head to toe. "Even with me giving you a major helping hand, he still beat the ever-loving snot out of you!" Black Steel chuckled.

"Chuckle all you want, but I didn't need your help then, and I don't need it this time!" Salamander denied while jabbing a finger at Black Steel. "I'll beat Laxus with my own two fists!"

"Not if I get to him first!" Gajeel declared.

"Who's beating who again?" Laxus questioned as he abruptly appeared in front of his ex-guildmates.

"Laxus!" the First Generation Dragon Slayers exclaimed as the Second Generation scowled at them. "Whoa! That lightning really was him after all!" Happy said. "Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried as they just appeared behind their boss. "It would seem that he's not alone either," Freed observed. "What's going on here?" Bickslow asked. "There's nothing going on here, is there?" Laxus replied sternly.

"Have you been living out in the woods this entire time?" Natsu asked him.

Laxus turned his head a bit before answering, "I travel around a bit, but I've been here for a little while."

Gohan kinda felt sorry for the guy; he got the feeling that he was actually just sticking close to his home since he wasn't allowed back. _"Guy has nowhere to go, and he's homesick; no wonder he was living here,"_ he thought.

"If you're this close, you should just come back to the guild already," Gajeel suggested.

"Why's that? Have you been missing me?" Laxus asked.

"I don't give a crap if you come back or not," Natsu stated before bashing his right fist into his left palm. "But since we're here, I think we should throw down and see who comes out on top!"

"Sounds good to me," Gajeel agreed.

"You guys really want me to take the bait, don't you?" Laxus scoffed. "You wanna get me all riled up and ready to fight. Well, I've got better things to do." The Lightning mage turned to leave.

"Like run away?" Natsu inquired, getting him to stop. "You've never been the type of guy to back down from a challenge, so what are you scared of?"

Gohan watched cautiously as he recognized what Natsu was doing. _"Classic fighter move,"_ he thought. _"He's egging him on, tempting him. If he backs down, he'll look weak."_

"You'd be wise to watch your tongue, Natsu," Freed warned him.

The Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers patiently waited to see what the Lightning Dragon Slayer's choice would be; seeing as how neither of them were willing to take no for an answer, Laxus turned to them, smirked, and said, "Ok, fine."

"Now that's more like it!" the First Generation exclaimed in unison.

"Sorry, but you ain't laying a finger on him!" Bickslow told them.

"You'll have to go through the Thunder Legion," Evergreen stated.

"Laxus' fate and our own shall never again be torn asunder!" Freed declared while shedding tears.

" _They must be really devoted to Laxus,"_ Gohan thought.

"No, I'd actually love to teach these two clowns a lesson all by myself," Laxus said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Sounds like fun to me," Natsu responded.

" _If I didn't know any better, I'd say these guys were Saiyans,"_ Gohan thought as he watched the three Dragon Slayers prepare to square off.

"Alright Natsu, guess you're first in line," Laxus noticed as he and the Salamander took their stances. Natsu ignited his fist while Laxus charged his body with lightning. Gajeel stood back with his arms crossed, waiting for his turn. Just as the two were about to fight, someone shouted, "Wait, hold on!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Sky Dragon Slayer and her Exceed had joined them. "What for?" Natsu questioned. "If you guys are really going through with this, you gotta make sure it's a special occasion!" she insisted. "I don't follow ya," Natsu admitted. "What are you talking about?" Gajeel inquired. The Sky maiden then jabbed her finger at them and declared, "The match will take place tomorrow!" while holding a serious face. Having no problem with that, Natsu replied, "Ok, if you insist, have it your way. I can wait one more day to kick his butt." He then pointed at his opponent and said, "Meet me tomorrow under the big solar tree in South Gate Park!"

"And when he's done, it'll be my turn!" Gajeel added.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Laxus agreed before turning to leave again. Wendy let out a breath of relief as he walked away when Makarov's grandson suddenly stopped and looked back. "Hey kid, your name's Gohan, right?" he questioned. Everyone then looked toward their newest member, who they finally noticed was still here.

Gohan nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"I hear you're supposed to be strong, that true?" Laxus continued to question the boy.

"I guess you can say that," Gohan replied.

"Gohan's definitely strong! He fought Natsu and beat him without even trying!" Happy stated.

"Hey, I wasn't really trying either! Plus, the kid got lucky!" Natsu argued.

"So you beat Natsu with ease, huh? That means you're clearly stronger than you look, kid," Laxus said. "And I'd like to find out just how strong you are, so why don't you join us in the ring. I don't mind one more opponent." Wendy, the Exceeds, and the Thunder Legion had looks of shock on their faces while Natsu and Gajeel frowned. _"He'll fight a kid without a second thought but not me?"_ they both thought.

"Now wait a minute, Laxus! He's just a kid!" Bickslow argued.

"He may have beaten Natsu, but you're much stronger; you might actually hurt this kid!" Evergreen pointed out.

"Gohan, for your own safety, I highly suggest that you turn down the offer," Freed advised the young boy.

The Demi Saiyan didn't answer as he thought about accepting the lightning mage's challenge. Truth is, after his fight with Natsu, his life seemed a little too calm, and his Saiyan blood was hungry for a good fight. If this guy was stronger than Natsu, then he would be a more significant challenge than the Fire mage was. Wendy looked worried that her friend would say yes to fighting Laxus, but she didn't say anything to avoid upsetting Gohan in case he was going to do saw her friend's uneasiness and spoke out. "It would be wise for you to refuse, child, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Gohan still gave no answer, so the son of Igneel came toward him and put his hand on his shoulder. "What are you waiting for, Gohan? You should totally join us! It'll be fun!" he assured him. "I'll even soften my blows on him so that you can take a crack at him!"

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I'd like to see what you can do now that you're a member of Fairy Tail," Laxus said. "And this is the best way to do it."

Gohan still didn't answer; instead he asked, "So, you're stronger than Natsu?"

"That's right, kid," Laxus confirmed.

"Then this should be fun after all," Gohan decided as he came to a decision. "Alright, count me in! I could use a good fight!"

Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel smirked while everyone else stared at the Saiyan with their jaws hanging open. "Well then, guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Laxus said before leaving everyone in the woods.

* * *

Later that day, some Fairy Tail members were chatting about the fights that were going to take place the next day. "You guys hear about the big showdown?" Wakaba inquired.

"Add that to the list of Natsu's bad decisions," Macao remarked.

"Did you know Laxus was around?" Romeo asked. "He's been in the woods around Magnolia for a while."

"Big time fights are so manly! This is gonna be the best one ever!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Should we be worried about Natsu and Gajeel getting hurt?" Lisanna inquired.

"Oh, they're gonna get hurt alright," Wakaba said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, Laxus is not someone I'd ever want go up against. Those two don't stand a chance," Mira said.

"Is he really that much stronger than them?" Kinana wondered.

"He's a tough customer for sure. Back then when he was still a member, I'd say the only one more powerful than him was Gildarts," Wakaba said.

"Did you guys hear that Gohan's also going to be fighting Laxus?" Romeo questioned.

"What is that kid thinking? Taking on Laxus is just crazy!" Macao shouted.

"Beating Natsu is one thing but beating Laxus isn't something you expect to do in one fight," Wakaba commented. "Poor kid's gonna get creamed."

"That kid's a real man, and real men don't back down from a fight!" Elfman proclaimed.

"Sounds to me like he's already acting like a real Fairy Tail member," Lisanna said. "He sure is catching on to our guild's style."

"You don't think Laxus would hurt Gohan too badly, do you?" asked Kinana.

"I don't know. He may have changed, but Laxus still isn't the type to hold back much when he fighting someone," Mira answered. "He's all about how many hits you can take from him before he beats you."

"Guess all we can do now is hope that Gohan doesn't end up in a body bag after Laxus is done with him," Wakaba said.

"Ok, as the master of the guild, I'd better get this party started!" Macao declared with excitement.

"Yeah! It'll be a fight party, the manliest kind there is!" Elfman proclaimed.

"That's a great idea; turn this into something fun for everyone!" Lisanna agreed.

"ALRIGHT!" everyone cheered.

* * *

That night, everyone in town had gathered in the South Gate Park to throw a party to celebrate the fights that would be taking place tomorrow. Stands were placed all around the big solar tree for people to buy food or merchandise. Natsu, Gohan, and Happy had just arrived at the park where they saw the party taking place. "This is crazy! What's going on here?! Is there some kind of festival happening or something?!" the confused Dragon Slayer wondered.

"Everyone's getting their party on!" Happy said enthusiastically.

"Wow! Wonder what the occasion is?" Gohan said.

"You do realize this is all because of you?" Lucy told them as she and Michelle came up to them.

"How so?" Natsu inquired.

"Does this have something to do with the fight with Laxus?" Gohan questioned.

"I'm having so much fun, and all the food here is wonderful!" Michelle exclaimed as she started coming down on the tons of food she got from the party. She then handed some to the Saiyan. "Here Gohan, I wanted to wish you luck in the fight, so I brought you some food since, like me, you have a big appetite!"

"Thanks, Michelle!" Gohan said gratefully as he accepted the food.

"By the way Gohan, is it true that you're also going to fighting Laxus tomorrow?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, it is," Gohan replied.

"That's crazy! Just because you beat Natsu, doesn't mean you should take on every one of our guild's toughest members!" Lucy shouted. "You should back down while you can!"

"But I haven't had a good fight in a while, and this is a great chance to see just how strong Laxus is," Gohan argued."If he's one of the toughest members in our guild, then this should be really fun."

"Aren't worried that you're gonna get hurt?" the Celestial Mage questioned.

"Nope. I'm pretty tough myself," Gohan responded.

"Hah! Will you even get a shot at him?! There might not be much of him left when I'm done with him!" Natsu laughed.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Lucy sighed.

"But seriously, what's the festival for?" Happy asked.

"I'm serious, it's because everyone heard about the big fight," Lucy answered.

"And they decided to put together a festival the night before," Michelle added.

"Really? All because of a few fights?" Gohan said as he thought, _"Kind of reminds me of the tournaments my dad used to fight in; people always came to see that."_

"Magnolia sure does love to party!" Happy commented.

"Well, I know you probably don't care, but we weren't getting anywhere with figuring out that ancient language, so we came here to unwind for a bit," Lucy revealed to them.

"Don't worry, Lucy, I'm sure you'll find out what that old writing means," Gohan tried to encourage the blond mage.

"I'm getting hungry again!" Michelle declared.

Many of the townspeople had gathered around a performance stage where the reporter for Sorcerer Weekly expressed his enthusiasm. "I can hardly believe it; so cool! Ladies and gentlemen, it has been too long!" the reporter announced. "But your favorite reporter Jason is back!" The crowd cheered as he continued to speak. "It's a reunion 7 years in the making, and what a cool way to celebrate, because this... is gonna be the most insanely awesome fight in the history of fighting!" Jason exclaimed as he shed tears of joy. "Get off the stage!" Wakaba cried. "It's time for bringing out the real talent already!" Macao yelled. Jason took no offense and continued talking. "Without further ado, I'm here to welcome a woman who's the very definition of beauty! The lovely and super talented... Ms. Mirajane!" The crowd roared as Fairy Tail's poster girl appeared on stage in a yellow dress with a guitar. "Are you boys and girls ready to rock?!" Mira asked the audience.

"Wow! I didn't know Mira could sing," Gohan said.

"Yeah, and she's outstanding, too! She sang me a song about fish once!" Happy told him.

"Bring it on, sis!" Elfman cheered.

"Light the stage, Mira!" Lisanna called out.

"Well I hate to break it to ya, but my poor throat has been awfully sore all day," Mira confessed, making the audience groan.

Over by the food stands, Gohan and Natsu were still stuffing their faces with numerous delicacies. "Hey Natsu, Gohan, don't you guys think it's a good idea to get at least a little training done before the big fight?" Happy questioned the fighters. "That won't be necessary, I was just planning on hitting him hard with everything I've already got," the Fire mage replied before he went back to eating. "Of course, why would I ever think you had any real strategy in mind?" Happy asked rhetorically. "What about you, Gohan, planning on doing some training for tomorrow?" Gohan shook his head and replied, "My Dad once told me that training the day before a big fight might actually tire you out rather than get you ready, so no thanks. But I do have a plan, between Laxus' fights with Natsu and Gajeel, that should be enough for me to observe and study his moves before I have to fight him." "See Natsu, why can't you be more like Gohan, someone who uses both their brain and brawn in a fight?" the Exceed asked his friend. "I wonder how Gajeel's gearing up for the showdown." The tomcat searched the crowd for the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I know he's gotta be real scared he's gonna get beat," Natsu said, "so he's probably off somewhere doing some kind of super crazy training."

" _Gajeel kinda reminds me of Vegeta, they both never stop training,"_ Gohan thought.

"Instead, let me introduce to you a singer who's got soul and style," Mira went on. "A true one of a kind performer like you've never seen before, put your hands together!" She stepped aside to reveal Gajeel wearing a white tuxedo, a white hat, and sunglasses and holding an eletric guitar.

"What the heck is he doing up there?!" Natsu asked in shock.

"Doesn't look like training!" Happy noted.

" _Ok, maybe he's not so much like Vegeta after all,"_ Gohan thought before he spoke. "I didn't think Gajeel could sing or play guitar."

"I wouldn't say he could sing, but he does love to express himself through music," Happy explained.

The crowd sweatdropped at seeing the Iron mage on stage."Thanks folks, I appreciate ya'll coming out here to see me tonight," he said.

"I didn't come here to see this crap!" Wakaba complained.

"For my special request, I'd like to start off with a little diddy I wrote myself!" Gajeel announced.

"You trying to tell me someone actually asked for this?!" Macao yelled disbelievingly.

"I call it best friends; here we go!" Gajeel continued.

"Doesn't he know any other songs?!" the old mages shouted at the same time. Once Gajeel started singing, people could only stare in horror at how bad the iron muncher's singing was. _"Wow, his singing's almost as bad as Krillin's,"_ the Demi Saiyan thought. He then spotted Lucy approaching team Shadow Gear within the crowd. _"Guess Lucy will be getting Levy to work on that ancient writing soon; too bad, they'll miss our fights."_ The Iron Dragon Slayer ended his performance with a howl and a "Good night, Magnolia!" and that concluded the festival.

* * *

The next day, Laxus came to the South Gate Park while the festival was starting again. "What's the occasion?" he inquired. "When word got out that you were having a big fight, the whole town decided to throw a party," Bickslow answered. "You see, Laxus, you're still quite the celebrity around here," Evergreen told him. "Yeah, I see they're all still a bunch of idiots," Laxus remarked. "You're a true legend of the Fairy Tail guild," Freed spoke before he started weeping. "So why don't you realize how desperately we need you?!" "Get a hold of yourself, man," Laxus muttered. He then saw a young boy enjoying the festival with his grandfather; seeing this made him smile.

* * *

Elsewhere, Gohan was walking through the Eastern Forest with Wendy and Carla; the Dragon Slayer and the Exceed were looking for Master Makarov and had invited the half Saiyan to go with them in the hopes of talking him out of fight with the lightning mage, but no such luck. "This is horrible. The only reason I asked them to wait a day is so that you guys could calm down a little and call off the fight," the Sky madien confessed.

"Is that what you were trying to do?" Gohan laughed. "Trust me, Wendy, I've seen fighters like Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel, and asking them to postpone the fight doesn't get them to calm down. It just makes them more anxious, the longer they have to wait."

"It seems your plan may have backfired, child," Carla told her.

"I never thought it would turn into such a big deal," Wendy said. "Gohan, please don't fight Laxus, you could get seriously hurt!"

Gohan simply smiled. "Don't worry, Wendy, I'll be fine. As long as you've known me, you haven't seen me when I'm at full strength. In fact, it's actually Laxus you should be worried about."

"What do you mean? Why should I be worried about Laxus instead of you?" she inquired.

"Is something troubling you, Wendy?" Makarov asked as he abruptly appeared in front of the three before Gohan could answer.

"Actually, there is," she replied.

"Hello, master," Gohan greeted the old man.

"Where have you been hiding yourself?! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Carla exclaimed.

"Why, has something happened?" Makarov asked.

"Natsu and Gajeel are in trouble. They're about to have a fight against Laxus," Wendy answered.

"THEY'RE DOING WHAT?!" Makarov screamed as his eyes grew blank and wide.

After Gohan removed his fingers from his ears, he said, "Speaking of which, I'd better get over there; don't want them to think I chickened out! But first, I need to look the part." The Son of Goku closed his eyes; his Ki started flashing until his clothes completely changed into his purple gi with brown shoes and the white weighted cape. ( **A/N: The outfit he wore at the Cell games.** ) "There, much better."

The three mages stared at the Saiyan with curious looks. "How did you do that, Gohan?" Makarov questioned.

"It's called Magic Materialization," Gohan replied. "I don't have the time to explain it, so I tell you guys about it later. Wish me luck!" And on that note, the Demi Saiyan ascended to the sky and flew toward South Gate Park.

"Where's he going to in such a hurry?" Makarov wondered.

"Wendy failed to mention that Gohan would also be fighting against your grandson," Carla explained.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DOES THE BOY WANNA DIE YOUNG?!" Makarov screamed again.

"I was hoping that Gohan would've changed his mind by now," Wendy told him.

"We'd better get over there now! If we hurry, we might be able to make it in time to stop Gohan's match!" Makarov declared. The three Fairies started running through the forest to head toward the south park.

* * *

At the South Gate Park, everyone from the festival aside from Lucy, Levy, and Michelle had gathered around the big solar tree. The Lightning Dragon Slayer was sitting in a chair against the tree while his personal bodyguards stood behind him. Laxus had his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he mentally readied himself for the fight. "COOL! Laxus is so cold and collective, it's terrifying!" Jason reported. Gajeel suddenly appeared and stood before his fellow Dragon Slayer. "Sweet! Black Steel Gajeel is ready to throwdown! The two heroes stare down their opponent, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife!" The Iron Dragon Slayer looked at his black Exceed standing in the crowd and smirked when Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer suddenly appeared with his Exceed by his side. "Natsu Dragneel has arrived, 3 out of 4 warriors are in their places!" Laxus opened his eyes and saw the Fire Dragon Slayer; he started looking around for the Z Fighter. "Where's the kid?" he asked. Everyone soon started to scan the area for the Demi Saiyan, but there was no sign of him. "From what I've heard, the 4th fighter has yet to arrive! Will young Gohan show?!" Jason pondered.

"I wonder where Gohan is," Macao said. "Although I didn't like the idea of him fighting Laxus, I was curious to see how he would do against him." "I thought he would at least be here to watch the fights," Wakaba added. "Guess he decided to do the smart thing and keep his body intact." The Strauss siblings were also searching for the Saiyan. "Do you think Gohan will show up at all?" Lisanna wondered. "I don't know, he seemed pretty eager to fight. Maybe he got scared and changed his mind," Mira suggested. "Don't tell me Gohan chickened out at the last minute! I thought he was a real man!" Elfman said. "Actually Elfman, he's a kid, and any normal kid would be terrified to have to fight Laxus," Lisanna corrected her brother. There was still no sign of Gohan; after a few minutes, Jason said, "It looks like Gohan won't be joining this awesome fight party! But that's cool, we wouldn't want the kid to get hurt, now would we?"

Pretty soon, only the Dragon Slayers were still looking around for the Saiyan hybrid. "Why isn't Gohan here yet?!" Natsu wondered. "I don't want the little guy to miss this; it's all for him too!" "Do you really think he would run away and let all these people down?" Happy asked. Laxus finally stopped searching and faced his two opponents. "Guess the kid had second thoughts about fighting me," he said. "That's a shame, I guess I'll just have to work with what I've got." "Heh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gajeel said with a chuckle as he looked upward. "Take a look over there." Everyone looked at the top of the big solar tree, where they spotted the half Saiyan standing there with his cape blowing in the wind. Gohan looked down as he gave the family Son grin before jumping off the tree and flipping toward the ground; the Saiyan landed on his feet and faced his opponent. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm glad you guys didn't start without me," he said.

At first, everyone was staring in stunned silence at the appearance of the Saiyan child, but then Jason announced, "SO COOL! Young Gohan has arrived, and what an entrance, might I add! Now Laxus and all of his challengers are here and ready to fight!" The crowd suddenly went into uproar, making the Demi Saiyan smile while putting a hand behind his head. "Well, how about that, the kid actually showed up." Wakaba sounded surprised. "Guess he's braver than we thought," Macao said. The Strauss siblings all smiled at the appearance of Gohan. "Wow! Gohan came after all," Lisanna exclaimed. "Although I hoped he wouldn't show so that he wouldn't get hurt, part of me is actually glad he had the courage to face Laxus." "I know what you mean," Mirajane agreed. "He's got the Fairy Tail spirit." "Way to show you're a man, Gohan!" Elfman shouted. "He's still a kid Elfman," his sisters said. Panterlily smiled at the boy in spotlight. _"Nice work Gohan; I applaud your courage,"_ he thought.

* * *

In Lucy's Apartment, the girls had decided to take a small break from their work to see Gohan's fight with Laxus, using a Lacrima to observe; they were surprised when the halfbreed showed up. "I can't believe he's actually going through with this! What is he thinking?!" Lucy questioned. "Gohan is so brave to take on that strong man, I'm so proud of him," Michelle said as she weeped. "He's definitely acting like a Fairy Tail member," Levy commented. "Yeah, I think our guild's insanity is rubbing off on him," Lucy muttered.

* * *

At the park, the crowd started chanting the Demi Saiyan's name. "Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" The son of Goku blushed at the attention he was getting, which was noticed by the Thunder Legion. "Kid's got heart, don't ya think?" Bickslow said. "Yes, he's certainly learning the Fairy Tail way," Freed agreed. "Well Laxus, it look like little Gohan's stolen your spotlight," Evergreen teased the Second Generation Dragon Slayer. "Who cares, I'm just glad the kid showed up," Laxus stated as he smiled. Gajeel stood beside the half Saiyan and said, "You got guts, kid, not bad." "Thanks, Gajeel," Gohan replied. Natsu and Happy then went over to the Z Fighter. "About time you got here, I was starting to think you got cold feet and that I would need drag you here!" the Fire mage told him cheerfully. "Way to show that you're a proud member of the Fairy Tail guild!" "Aye sir!" Happy agreed. Gohan smiled at his guildmates. "What can I say, I was itching for a good fight," he said. "Well, now that you're here..." Natsu started. "What do you say we get down to business?" Gajeel asked. "Sure thing," Gohan said. The three fighters turned to face their opponent, the Lightning Dragon Slayer.

"I must admit that while I'm surprised you showed up, I'm glad that you're here," Laxus admitted. "Now things can get interesting." The Lightning mage slowly got out of his chair and approached the Salamander as his other two opponents stepped aside, leaving the Fire mage to face the Lightning mage alone.

"Laxus stands up, and it looks like Natsu's getting first crack at him!" Jason stated. The other two fighters watched anxiously as the two Dragon Slayers prepared to face off. "Let's do this thing," Laxus said. "Bring it!" Natsu challenged. "But I gotta warn you, that I'm not gonna hold back," Laxus warned his opponent. "I don't blame ya," Natsu responded cockily. "Do you understand? If you don't survive this, it ain't my fault," Laxus warned him again. "I could say the same to you, big guy!" Natsu said as he ignited his fist. Laxus responded by charging his body with lightning. "Happy, you'd better get back," Natsu told his partner. "Good luck, Natsu, I'm rooting for ya," Happy wished his friend luck. "Thanks, pal," Natsu said as Happy flew to a safe distance. Everyone in the audience watched anxiously as Natsu prepared to take on Laxus; the Fire Dragon Slayer then roared as he amped up the flames around his body, as did Laxus when he increased his lightning output.

Sparks of fire and electricity flew around, stinging some of the audience. "Yes, it's on now!" Jason announced. In the center of a circle of people stood a blaze of glory and a bolt of power; the spectators watched as Natsu and Laxus continued to charge up. _"This is gonna be intense!"_ Macao thought. _"Whoever strikes first will lose,"_ Lily thought. _"Both Natsu and Laxus' energies are greater than any average human's, but..."_ Gohan thought. Natsu suddenly charged at Laxus with his fist ready, yet Laxus made no attempt to dodge and just stood still while throwing his own fist. Both fists swung past each other, but Laxus' struck first, knocking out the Fire Dragon Slayer in one go. _"…Laxus was still stronger, sorry Natsu,"_ Gohan thought sympathetically.

Natsu laid on the ground in defeat with white widened eyes and smoke coming out of his head. The Strauss siblings held shocked looks on their faces as Jason announced, "T.K.O.!" Everyone else laughed at Salamander's humiliating defeat. "The poor kid couldn't land a single hit!" Macao laughed."I don't know about that, he hit the ground pretty dang hard!" Wakaba joked. Happy rushed over to his friend, who was still flat on his stomach in disbelief. "Are you ok?" the blue Exceed asked his partner. "Great job as usual, Laxus!" Evergreen congratulated him. "The little guy's still got nothing on ya, buddy," Bickslow said while Freed just wept. While they were talking, Gajeel was sweating bullets as he realized he was next. "So, are you ready for round 2?" Laxus asked his second challenger, but he was surprised to see that the place Gajeel recently stood was empty.

"He's gone!" Lisanna stated.

"Whoa! Gajeel just ghosted!" Jason announced.

"You mean that lousy coward ran away?!" Wakaba yelled.

"What?!" Lily shouted.

"Huh, well if he's gone, then I guess that means you're my next victim, kid," Laxus noted as he faced Gohan.

" _Vegeta would've never ran from a fight,"_ Gohan mused before he turned to the still passed out Salamander. _"And my dad would've lasted longer than one punch."_ He then sighed and said, "So much for studying Laxus' moves." He then faced the Lightning Dragon Slayer and smirked. "Guess it's my turn then; let's do it!" Everyone was taken aback by Gohan's eagerness to fight. "So cool! The young Gohan shows no fear as he prepares to face the mighty Laxus!" Jason announced. Gohan pulled off his weighted cape and tossed it aside. "Ah, that takes a load off," he said before he started flexing and doing exercises. "Is this kid seriously still doing this?" Macao inquired. "I know, right. How can he be so calm after what he saw Laxus did to Natsu?" Wakaba questioned.

"Does Gohan still wanna fight Laxus?" Lisanna asked.

"I think he does," Mira answered. "I just hope Laxus doesn't hurt him too badly."

"Come on, Gohan! Show 'em how a real man fights!" Elfman cheered.

* * *

At Lucy's Apartment, the girls watched as Gohan prepared himself for the fight. "I can't beleive Gohan's still not backing down! Is he insane?!" Lucy asked." "Do you think Gohan stands a chance against this Laxus guy?" Michelle pondered with a worried tone. "Let's hope so, for his sake," Levy replied.

* * *

At the park, Gohan finally stopped his warm-ups and faced Laxus. He then bowed to the Lightning Dragon Slayer and said, "Let's have a good match!" Laxus blinked at the boy's gesture and replied, "Sure thing." _"It doesn't look like Gohan's going to back down,"_ Lily thought. In the trees nearby, Black Steel was watching the Demi Saiyan get ready for his fight. _"Kid's brave! Let's see what he's got,"_ Gajeel thought.

"So cool! Two of Fairy Tail's strongest warriors are about to duke it out; this fight will be legendary!" Jason announced. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"Let me give you the same advice I gave Natsu," Laxus said. "I don't plan on holding back!"

"I'd be insulted if you did!" Gohan replied.

"Do you understand? If you value your life, now's your chance to back down, " Laxus told him.

"Trust me, I'm not backing out of this," Gohan answered with determination.

"But how can you still want to fight Laxus? Aren't you afraid of what'll happen to you?" Evergreen inquired.

"Nope, my father never backed down from a fight, so neither will I!" the Demi Saiyan declared.

"You do realize that Laxus is probably ten times stronger than Natsu, right?" Bickslow asked.

"That's right, so how can you still be ao eager to fight Laxus after hearing that?" Freed questioned.

"Because hearing how strong he is only makes want to fight him more!" Gohan answered.

Laxus smirked at Gohan's answer. "Alright then, let's do this!" he said as he took a stance. "Ready?"

"Hold on!" Gohan called as he raised his hand. "Before we begin, I do have one request. Would everyone watching please take a few more steps back?" Although everyone was confused, they complied and moved back until the two combatants were within a large circle, about the size of a fighting ring. " Is this ok?" Laxus asked. "Yeah, it is." Gohan nodded. He held up one finger and channeled Ki into it; he then fired a gold beam at the ground and moved the beam in a circular motion. When he was done, there was a dirt circle that separated the audience from the fighters, with Gohan and Laxus being the only ones inside the ring. "This will be our battlefield, and we're only allowed to fight inside this ring," Gohan explained. "If either one of us steps out of the ring, we automatically lose." "Fine by me, I've got no problem with it," Laxus agreed.

"SO COOL! Gohan has made his own rule for their fight!" Jason observed. "I think things are about to get real interesting!"

Laxus then charged his body with electricity."So, are you ready to do this?" he asked his opponent. Gohan responded by crossing his arms in front of his face before lowering them and letting out a mighty yell. The Demi Saiyan released a strong wave of energy as he revved himself up. The spectators had to shield their faces from Gohan's powerful force; even Laxus was having a little trouble resisting Gohan's energy. "SO COOL! Little Gohan is powering up; his energy is so strong, I can feel the force of its power! Laxus may need to be on his toes for this fight!" Jason commented. Eventually, the force of Gohan's power up calmed down as the half Saiyan was emitting a white aura. _"I don't sense any magic from this kid, but his energy, I can feel the pressure from it,"_ Laxus thought. Gohan then took a fighting position ( **A/N: The one he took when he was about to fight Perfect Cell, round one.** ) and said, "Alright Laxus, ready when you are!"

Amongst the crowd, Wendy, Makarov, and Carla finally showed up but not in time for what they wanted to prevent. "Oh no, we're too late!" Wendy cried. "Gohan and Laxus are about to start fighting; now what do we do?" "The only thing we can do is wait and hope that my grandson goes easy on the boy," Makarov decided. Laxus smirked at Gohan as he slowly walked toward the black-haired fighter. The two fighters were soon facing each other and staring each other down. "The two fighters are in each other's faces, but who will strike first?!" Jason asked. His question was immediately answered when Laxus threw a punch at Gohan; the Demi Saiyan easily caught it with his right hand. Laxus attempted to kick the Z Fighter, but his attack was blocked again. The Lightning mage continued his assault barrage, and the halfbreed blocked every single blow. When Laxus stopped attacking and jumped back, he smirked and said, "Not bad, kid, but I'm just getting started!"

"So am I!" Gohan replied. The Saiyan charged at the Lightning man and threw multiple blows at him; Laxus managed to block all of them before punching the half Saiyan in the right cheek. Gohan flew backward but backflipped and landed on his feet. "You're not gonna beat me with one punch like you did with Natsu!" Gohan told him. "You're a tough one, kid, I'll give you that!" Laxus complimented him before he disappeared and reappeared in front of the Saiyan; Gohan didn't react fast enough and took a punch to the gut. He slid across the ground but quickly got up and jumped at Laxus. He tried to kick the Dragon Slayer, but his attack was blocked. Laxus countered by kicking Gohan upward before jumping after the boy; he then struck Gohan with multiple lightning charged fists before kicking Gohan back to the earth. The Saiyan landed on his back as Laxus descended on him. "Here it comes, kid!" the mage cried as he joined his hands and imbued them with a large amount of lightning. **"** **Lightning Dragon's Jaw** **!"** he shouted as he brought his hands down on the monkey prince; Gohan was struck in the chest with the attack and zapped as the force pushed him deeper into the ground.

When Laxus finished his attack, Gohan laid flat on the ground with his mouth open, looking lifeless. Everyone was too sad for words, even the reporter couldn't talk when he saw the state Gohan was in. "Poor kid, shouldn't have tried to take on Laxus," Wakaba said dejectedly. "Yeah, but that was pretty rough on him, wasn't it?" Macao remarked. "Why didn't we try to talk him out of it?!" Lisanna said sadly. "I hope he's not hurt too badly." Mira frowned. "At least he went out like a real man," Elfman commented. "I'd expect nothing less from our Laxus," Freed said. "Yup, the kid never knew what hit 'em," Bickslow added. Laxus looked at his downed opponent and said, "Not a bad fight, kid, I actually had to try a little bit." In the crowd, Wendy looked devastated at seeing Gohan's supposed defeat, as did Makarov and Carla. "Wendy, you must go and heal the boy right away!" the Exceed ordered. "R-Right!" Wendy agreed, and she began to push her way through the audience to get to the Demi Saiyan. However, a second before she could reach him, Gohan's eyes blinked twice before the boy hopped back on his feet, surprising everyone. "What the hell?" Laxus questioned in shock.

The son of Goku cracked his neck before saying, "That was pretty good, your attacks actually stung a bit."

"Just a bit?" the Dragon Slayer asked.

Aside from the few sets of bruises Gohan got from Laxus' attacks, the boy acted like nothing had happened to him. "SO COOL!" Jason cried. "The young Gohan shows his strength by taking all of Laxus' strikes and getting back up as though he didn't feel a single one!" The spectators were still a bit surprised to see that Gohan wasn't damaged at all. "Dang! I don't think there's any man who can take all of Laxus' attacks like that and get right back up, let alone a kid!" Wakaba exclaimed. "Tell me about it; how is he not hurt right now?" Macao inquired. "That's kid's a real man," Elfman muttered. "Yeah, he sure is strong for his age," Mira remarked. "Just how powerful is this kid?" Makarov mused.

From the view of the Lacrima, Levy, Lucy, and Michelle saw Gohan take a beating from Laxus and get right back up; they were all surprised to see that. "What the heck?! How is Gohan still standing?!" Lucy exclaimed. "He must be really strong," Michelle deduced. "No kidding, he doesn't even look the least bit injured," Levy observed.

"Wow! Not even Natsu or Gajeel could get up right after taking something like that," Happy shouted. "Yes, it's clear that Gohan is much stronger than he lets on." Lily remarked. "How's Natsu doing, by the way?" The blue Exceed looked at his friend, whose expression hadn't changed since his loss to the lightning mage. "He's still pretty out of it. Too bad; he's gonna miss the show."

The Demi Saiyan cracked his knuckles and said, "Alright, now it's my turn!" He then took another fighting stance (A/N: The stance he took in his 2nd round with Cell.) as he flared his Ki once again. He then rushed at the Dragon Slayer and started throwing multiple blows at him again; Laxus managed to block all of the attacks before punching Gohan away while asking, "Nice try, kid, but is that all you got?!" Gohan backflipped and landed on all fours while answering, "Not even close!" He then flew straight at the Lightning man; Laxus couldn't react fast enough and was struck with a skull bash attack. Everyone was shocked to see Laxus being hit like that, while the mage staggered back a bit as Gohan landed on his feet. "Now you're wide open!" Gohan shouted as he attacked Laxus again. The Saiyan struck the mage in the face with his right fist, kicked him in the gut, then hit with an elbow bash attack, and finished with a straight kick to the face. Laxus slid across the ground on his back before stopping just inside the ring.

The audience was stunned to see Laxus forced to the ground by a little kid; the 2nd Generation Dragon Slayer slowly got back on his feet and took a few heavy breaths. "COOL! The youngest member of Fairy Tail has given an awesome display of his power! I don't think this fight's going to be an easy one for Laxus!" Jason announced, which made the crowd cheer loudly. Gohan smiled sheepishly as the audience cheered him on. _"Wow! That kid's no pushover, that's for sure!"_ Gajeel thought. "I'll say this kid, you are a challenge," Laxus admitted. "I can see why you didn't back out when you had the chance." Laxus then let out his lightning aura and began to increase its size. "If I'm gonna win this, I'll have to turn up the heat." Everyone was affected by the force of his magic power; only Gohan remained unfazed. _"His power just increased dramatically,"_ the Saiyan thought as he smirked. _"Guess he was holding back, too."_ Gohan then flared his Ki as he began to increase his own power. "As Natsu would say, I'm all fired up now!"

"Cool! Both fairies have unleashed their powers! Looks like this fight is about to reach a whole new level!" Jason shouted. Both charged at each other and fist bumped; the force of their collision blew everyone watching back a bit and created a trench in the ground. They proceeded to throw blows at each other, locking themselves in combat. Everyone was amazed at how well Gohan was keeping up with Laxus. The Lightning mage punched Gohan in the face, and Gohan countered with a kick to his chin. Laxus elbow bashed the Demi Saiyan and he skull bashed the Lightning mage. The Dragon Slayer handchopped the Z Fighter, and he palm struck him back. Gohan then flew upward to gain some distance and Laxus immediately jumped after him; the son of Goku swerved through the air with Makarov's grandson right on his tail (figuratively). _"He's chasing after me! Can he fly, too?"_ Gohan wondered. "Where are you going, kid?! The Fun's just beginning!" Laxus stated as he shot bolts of lightning at Gohan; the Saiyan hybrid dodged the attacks by moving swiftly.

"So cool! Gohan and Laxus' battle has gone sky high!" Jason stated. "Which fighter will prove to be the strongest in the heavens?!"

" _And I thought Natsu's fight will Laxus gonna be intense, but this battle is epic!"_ Macao thought. The audience watched in awe as lightning flashed in the sky, but not a single bolt struck the Saiyan. Gohan then flew straight at his opponent and kicked him the face. Laxus countered with a punch to Gohan' s chest and they proceeded to begin pummeling each other. Sparks of electricty and sound waves flashed through the firmament as the Fairies kept trading blows. Gohan then knocked Laxus downward and placed his hands above his head. The Z Fighter charged Ki into palms and shouted, **"Masenko...ha!"** before firing his demon flash attack at the Dragon Slayer; the beam collided with Laxus and sent him plummeting toward the ground "Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried, but he quickly regained his posture and landed on his feet. "Take this, boy!" the lightning mage shouted as he fired multiple lightning blasts at the Saiyan; Gohan deflected all of them before diving toward Laxus. The Dragon Slayer fired more lightning bolts at the halfbreed but Gohan countered with a Ki blast before landing on the ground.

The two charged at each other again and prepared to strike at the same time, but at the last second, Gohan disappeared and reappeared behind Laxus and kicked him in the back. Laxus flinched before turning to face the Saiyan, only to find him gone again before getting kicked in the head. Every time Laxus tried to hit the Saiyan, he would phase somewhere else and strike him. The audience was having trouble keeping up with Gohan's speed; to them, it was just flashes of the half Saiyan that was moving all around Laxus. "Whoa! Gohan's giving Laxus a major run for his money; so cool!" Jason exclaimed. "I didn't think I'd live to see the day when Laxus would fight someone even faster than him," Wakaba marvelled. "Yeah, the kid's mopping the floor with him," Macao noted. Laxus then roared as he started throwing lightning bolts all around himself, but Gohan's superior speed and agility made it easy for him to dodge the magic attacks. "Stand still, you little runt!" Laxus shouted as he threw more lightning attacks.

"The kid's quick on his feet," Bickslow commented. "Yes, combine that with his speed and size, and it'll be extremely difficult for Laxus to tag him," Freed agreed. "I've never met a fighter that Laxus couldn't strike." "What do you think he'll do now?" Evergreen wondered. Laxus threw another lightning bolt at the Saiyan, who countered with a Ki blast; the explosion blew Laxus back a bit, leaving hin wide open for Gohan's attack. "You're mine!" Gohan cried as he charged the lightning mage with his fist ready. Gohan threw his fist forward just as he was inches away from Laxus' chest, and the next thing the boy knew, he was positioned behind the lightning mage, who was still standing. _"What just happened? I know I had him, there wasn't any time for him to dodge,"_ Gohan thought as he turned around to face his opponent. _"What did he do? And what was that tingling sensation I felt?"_ Laxus smirked as he charged his body with lightning. "Well, guess the only way to find out is to attacķ him again," he deduced as he retook his fighting position; he then charged at his opponent once again.

The moment he was right in front of Laxus, he somehow ended up behind him with this tingling sensation, but this time Gohan fired a Ki blast at the lightning mage as he turned around. He couldn't belive what he saw: the Ki blast went right through the Dragon Slayer, whose body was entirely made of lightning. "What is this?" he questioned. "This is my Lightning Body. My magic allows me to not only use lightning but become it," Laxus explained. "In this form, my speed is increased greatly, plus my body becomes intangible to physical and magical attacks. Good luck trying to touch me now." The lightning mage then disappeared in a bolt of lightning and appeared behind the Saiyan; Gohan couldn't react in time and was struck with Lightning. Laxus continued to moved all around Gohan while repeatedly striking him with electricity. "What's the matter, kid, can't keep up?!" Laxus taunted the half Saiyan. "Laxus has him on the ropes, I don't know if Gohan will last much longer," Makarov said. "The child seems to be in quite a predicament," Carla noted. "Do you think he'll be alright?" Wendy asked. Gohan then closed his eyes and stood still; just as Laxus was about to strike him, he jumped to side, dodging it completely.

"Impossible, how did you see me coming?!" Laxus demanded.

"Your form may allow you to move too fast for the eye to track, but I can still sense your life force!" Gohan answered. "That's all I need to predict your movements and counter them!"

"You may be able to see me coming, but your attacks still can't touch me, so the most you can do is dodge!" Laxus said. "We'll see about that!" Gohan retorted as he clapped his hands together. He began channeling Ki into them as he tried to pinpoint where Laxus would be next. "Take this!" he cried as he released numerous electric attacks at Laxus' Lightning Body; the electricity captured the lightning mage and blasted him out of the sky. Everyone had their jaws hanging open when they saw Laxus on the ground in his physical form. "What did you do?! How did you attack me?!" Laxus questioned. "Just a little trick I learned from my master; it's called the Thunder Shock Surprise Attack!" Gohan stated. "It allows me to convert my Ki into electricity and zap my foes with it. Honestly, I wasn't sure it would work on you, but it looks like you can still be touched by electricity. It worked even better, being that it's still technically Ki and not magic, something you're not used to."

"Heh! Impressive, kid, you're much stonger than I thought you'd be," Laxus said. "I was right to offer you a chance at fighting me, this has been a fun match for me."

"For me too, but I want to fight you at your best, and I know you're still holding back," Gohan told him. "Come on, Laxus, show me your true power."

"Heh heh! So, you want me to go all out, huh?" Laxus asked rhetorically. "I guess I'll have to comply if I wanna win this fight." The Lightning mage's body started to expand, his teeth turned into fangs, and his eyes became plain white with no pupils. His forearms gave the appearance that he had scales on his arms. As impressive as his physical growth was, it was his energy's growth that caught Gohan's attention. _"His power has increased dramatically again, this guy could be as strong as Nappa when my dad fought him,"_ he thought. The boy smirked with excitement as his Saiyan side took over. Laxus roared, creating a great shockwave that made everyone shield their faces except Gohan, who embraced this show of power. "I've been waiting for you turn it up," he muttered.

"Is this kid crazy?! Why would he ask Laxus to go all out?!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"Kid sure does love to fight, huh," Macao reasoned. "Just look at how calm he his, he seems more excited than terrified."

"This battle's starting to get real manly!" Elfman shouted.

"I hope Gohan knows what he's doing," Lisanna said.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if he has a chance against Laxus anymore," Mira added worriedly.

"What was that boy thinking?!" Makarov yelled. "He can't hope to match Laxus at full strength!"

"It seems that was he intends to do," Carla said. "The child seems to grow more excited the stronger Laxus gets."

Wendy held her hands together as she stared her friend with concern. _"Please be careful Gohan,"_ she thought.

"Well, that kid's a goner," Bickslow said.

"Agreed. I can't imagine Gohan standing a chance against him now," Freed added.

"He doesn't look too worried about it; in fact, he's smiling," Evergreen noticed as she glanced at the Saiyan child.

" _Man, I remember when he used that form on us, we didn't stand much of a chance,"_ Gajeel thought. _"And yet, Gohan looks glad that he gets to have a shot at it."_ The Iron Dragon Slayer smiled as he looked over at the half Saiyan. _"Heh, as insane as the kid is, I think I'm starting to like him."_

"So that's what Laxus' power feels like at its max," Panterlily said.

"Yeah, it looks seriously scary," Happy remarked. "Why would Gohan ask for this?"

"Simple, it's because he has the heart of a warrior, unlike a certain Dragon Slayer that's not here," Lily stated.

"Cool! Laxus has just gone full Dragon Slayer mode, and yet Gohan shows no sign of fear, only excitement! This is gonna one of the greatest battles in history, the showdown between a mighty Dragon Slayer and an unwavering warrior! So cool!" Jason screamed.

Gohan retook his fighting stance as he prepared to take on Laxus at full strength; the Lightning Dragon Slayer charged at Gohan and attempted to punch him, but the half Saiyan quicky jumped to the side to dodge him. Laxus quickly turned toward the hybrid and threw another Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist at him; Gohan crossed his arms and blocked the attack. He then jumped up to kick the Mage in the face, but Laxus grabbed his leg and tossed him aside. Gohan quickly caught himself and charged at Laxus, who charged at him. The two collided and entered a grappling match. Gohan kneed Laxus in the chin but he shook it off and slammed the boy into the ground before stomping on him with a lightning charged foot. He then tried to punch Gohan but the Saiyan quickly jumped into the sky. Laxus chased after him and the two began trading blows again. _"He may be big, but his speed has increased as much as his power,"_ Gohan observed. The Dragon Slayer clamped his hands together and brought them down on Gohan; the Saiyan quickly jumped over the Mage and gave him a good kick to the back.

Laxus winced before turning to attack his opponent; however, he was met with hand leveled at his face, courtesy of the son of Goku. Gohan fired a Ki blast at Laxus, and the explosion sent Laxus plummeting toward the ground. Gohan descended to the earth just as Laxus got up from the ground; they rushed at each other and were once again locked in combat. The crowd watched in awe as the Demi Sayian held his own agaist the Dragon Slayer. Laxus punched Gohan in the face and the half Saiyan kicked him back. Gohan then jumped back a bit and Laxus followed him; the lightning mage tried to punch the Saiyan but he fired a blast at the ground, launching himself into the air. Laxus turned around in time to get socked in the face by Gohan, knocking him flat on his back. The Saiyan didn't let up in his assault as he started rapidly punching the Dragon Slayer.

He then charged his right fist with Ki and aimed it at Laxus' face, but the S-Class mage dodged at the last second, making him smash the ground. Laxus then grabbed Gohan and yelled, "Now I've got you! **Lightning Dragon's Roar!** " He hit Gohan his breath attack and sent him flying; he then jumped above Gohan to hit him with another lightning blast, but Gohan quickly shouted, **"Rapid Fire!"** as he launched multiple energy blasts at his opponent, countering the lightning. Gohan descened to the ground while Laxus stayed in the air. "I think it's time we end this fight, boy!" Laxus said. "I agree!" Gohan responded. Laxus then gathered his lightning into his right fist before extending it toward Gohan. **"Lightning Dragon's Demolition Fist!"** Laxus shouted as a giant fist of lightning shot out of his hand and dived toward Gohan; the crowd was surprised to see Gohan made no attempt to dodge the attack, as if he planned to take it head-on. The Son of Goku cupped his hands together and placed them at his side; he focused his Ki into the center of his palms while chanting, **"Ka...me...ha...me...Ha!"** He shot his hands forward and launched a blue energy beam at Laxus' attack.

The two attack collided and Gohan's began to overtake Laxus'; pretty soon, the beam made it all the way to the Dragon Slayer and consumed him. The explosion created a blinding light that forced everyone to shield their eyes; when the light faded, everyone looked to see Laxus rapidly falling toward the ground. Gohan quickly flew under him and used one hand to catch him by the back ( **A/N: Like how Goku did to Nappa and Burter.** ) He gently placed Laxus on the ground and inspected him. "He's fine, just unconscious," he reasoned as he faced the audience, which was when he noticed that everyone was staring at him with stunned expressions. The Demi Saiyan was nervous about the looks he was getting from the townspeople. "Uh, is everyone ok?" he inquired. As soon as he did, the crowd went into uproar, which kinda hurt his ears. "SO COOL! I don't think anyone's ever seen a fight like that before!" Jason exclaimed. "It was so intense, so spectacular, so... cool! Young Gohan has defeated the mighty Laxus, making him the champion of the fight festival!"

"I can't believe what I just saw, did that kid really beat Laxus?!" Macao shouted.

"Beat him? The kid completely demolished him!" Wakaba said.

"Wow! Gohan actually defeated Laxus!" Lisanna smiled. "That was amazing!"

"Gohan was so awesome; he was manly awesome!" Elfman yelled.

"He's an incredibly strong boy, guess that's why he wasn't afraid to fight Laxus," Mira said.

"The last time I witnessed Laxus' defeat was when Natsu beat him during the Battle of Fairy Tail, and that was just barely," Freed spoke. "I never thought this kid would best Laxus in battle like that."

"Yeah, that kid's super tough," Bickslow agreed.

"Do you think Laxus is alright?" Evergreen asked. The Thunder Legion glanced over at their boss, who still remained unconscious.

"Gohan said he was fine, but perhaps we should go check on him," Freed suggested.

"In all my years, I've never seen a kind of power that allows a child to defeat a Dragon Slayer," Makarov said. "The power of this Ki is truly impressive, and to see this child wield it so well is astonishing."

"Indeed, his power is quite formidable," Carla commented.

People started gathering around the Demi Saiyan and the Dragon Slayer and began clapping. Gohan gave the family Son grin while touching the back of his neck; he then noticed Wendy Marvell coming toward him. "Hey Wendy, what did you think of the fight?" he inquired. "It was a little scary, but incredible," Wendy replied. "You were amazing, Gohan." Gohan blushed a bit as he smiled at her. "Thanks. Do you mind healing Laxus now?" he asked her. "You sure you don't want me to heal you first?" Wendy questioned with concern. "You look pretty hurt." "Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. I may be bruised but it's not as bad as it looks," Gohan assured. "It's Laxus who could really use your help right now."

The Sky maiden nodded before she placed her hands above the fallen Dragon Slayer resting flat on his back; she started releasing her magic around Makarov's grandson, and after a few minutes, the S-Class mage awoke. "Laxus, you're alright!" Evergreen exclaimed. "You scared us for a second there, pal," Bickslow added. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried that you might've been hurt!" Freed wept. The Lightning Dragon Slayer held a neutral expression as he glanced around. "What happened?" he questioned. "You lost, sorry about that," Gohan answered. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, but what are you apologizing for, kid?" Laxus asked. "You won, that means you were clearly stronger than me." Laxus then stood up after Wendy finished healing him. "I know you asked me to fight with everything I had, but I get the feeling that you weren't."

Gohan laughed a bit. "Would you believe me if I said that I didn't even use half my power?" Hearing this made everyone in the audience jaw drop.

"Kinda hurts to hear you say that, kid, but I won't complain much since I really enjoyed our fight," Laxus said.

"Thanks, I had fun, too," Gohan responded. "You're really strong,"

"You too, Gohan, you're gonna fit in nicely at the guild," Laxus assured. "The next time we fight, I won't go down as easily."

Gohan smiled at the Mage as he replied, "I look forward to it."

Gajeel was leaning against the tree above the ground, still letting everything he saw sink in. _"I thought Laxus' power was scary, but man, that Gohan's power is just terrifying,"_ Black Steel thought. He smiled when he saw the crowd praising the Demi Saiyan. _"Kid's gonna be a great Fairy Tail member. I should probably get out of here before someone spots me or worse."_ What could only be described as bad luck occurred as the branch the Iron Dragon Slayer was standing on snapped, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud thud; the crowd turned to where they heard the noise and saw the black-haired Mage. "Aw crap," he muttered.

"So, you're still here, huh, Gajeel," Lily said. "I was starting to think you were scared."

"Guess he wanted Gohan to fight Laxus first and then get his turn," Happy figured.

"Cool! It looks like this fight festival isn't over yet, because Black Steel just showed up for his match," Jason announced, which made Gajeel start sweating again now that everyone was looking at him. "Will he win like Gohan did, or will he be one-shot like Natsu? Either is cool!"

"Guess your fighting's not over yet," said Bickslow. "What do you say Laxus, wanna go another round?"

Laxus thought for a moment and replied, "Why not? I still got some left in me." The Lightning Mage turned to face the Iron Mage, but he vanished once again. "Seriously?"

"Wow! Gajeel has disappeared again!" Jason stated.

"Did he seriously run away again?!" Wakaba yelled.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lily cried.

"Alright you guys, let's track him down!" Macao ordered as he and a few other members stampeded away to search for the missing Dragon Slayer.

"A man hunt, that sounds so manly!" Elfman shouted.

"I always thought you had the heart of a true warrior; I didn't think you were a coward, Gajeel!" Lily said as he flew with the crowd.

After everyone left, the only ones who remained were Wendy, Carla, Makarov, Laxus, the Thunder Legion, Gohan, Happy, and the still unconscious Natsu. The Demi Saiyan went to check on the Salamander. "How's Natsu doing, Happy?" he asked the tom cat. "Not good, I think he's still in shock from Laxus beating him with one blow," Happy answered. "Maybe Wendy should heal him," Gohan suggested when he suddenly sensed tension and looked over to see where it was comimg from. He saw Matser Makarov and Laxus staring at each other with neutral expressions. Everyone watching the moment of silence between grandfather and the grandson had looks of concern and sadness.

After a few more minutes of silence, Laxus turned away from his grandfather began to leave. "You're just gonna take off again?" Bickslow asked.

"Wait! Please, come back to Fairy Tail!" Evergreen pleaded, but Laxus gave no reply.

Freed turned to speak to Makarov. "Master, hasn't his expulsion from the guild lasted long enough? Take him back!" he urged.

Makarov only turned to look at his retreating grandson. Gohan thought that he should say something, but like Wendy and Carla, he wasn't a member during the Battle of Fairy Tail, so he didn't know what Laxus had put everyone through or done to get expelled. He could clearly see that Laxus wasn't ready to return home nor was Makarov ready to take his grandson back, but he couldn't help but feel sad that the Lightning Mage was forced to leave his loved ones. With this in mind, he left as well with Wendy and Carla. Moments later, Natsu started to wake up. "You rattled your brains, huh?" Happy asked.

"Nah, I've had much worse headaches," Natsu said. "I wonder where that scaredy cat Gajeel is hiding himself?"

"Macao and the others went looking for him, but no one knows where he is," the blue Exceed replied.

"Hey Happy, did Gohan really beat Laxus?" the pink-haired Mage inquired.

"Yeah, he was super awesome! I've never seen anything like him before," Happy answered.

"So, where is he now? I wanted to congratulate him on his win," Natsu said.

"After Laxus left, Gohan just left too," Happy told him.

* * *

Later that day, three strangers were approaching the guild hall. Pantherlily heard their approach, but thought it was the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I think I can hear Gajeel outside," he said before exititng the guild hall with Happy and Carla right behind him. "Where have you been?!" he asked when he got outside and saw someone coming. Once he could see who it was, although he was still glaring, he was clearly surprised based on what he said next. "I don't believe it." The Exceeds saw two girls and a guy walking toward their guild.

 **A/N: Done! So whatcha think of the fight; pretty awesome, right? But now to what's important, this means we're moving onto the next part of the Key to the Starry Heavens arc! I've put up another poll, and I already got 2 votes for no and 1 for yes. Not what I was hoping for, but I'll keep waiting. Thanks again for your reviews and support, and stay tuned. Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: We're back! Thank you all for your support, I'm glad you enjoyed the fight! I may have overcalculated Laxus' power; it's not at Nappa's level. No one in the Fairy Tail universe is on par with anyone from Dragon Ball Z, so Laxus was most likely at Tien's level of power when he first fought Goku. You see, in Fairy Tail, the stronger Mage is usually the one with the greater emotions to fuel their magic power, while in Dragon Ball Z, that's the one with the largest life force energy. So, while Gohan outclasses most mages in raw power, brute force, or hidden potential, they outclass him in tactics/versatility, and since using magic to attack is not common in the Dragon Ball Z universe at this point, it means Gohan can be defeated by a trick or the effects of some magical attacks, i.e., Saiyans are not immune to poison, so Cobra's poison would affect him significantly if he was hit by it. In this universe, the Demi Saiyans can't muscle their way to victory often. Now, time to see Gohan take on the Legion Platoon!**

 **Disclaimer - I own Nothing**

 **Chapter 9 – Target: Lucy**

"Who are you?!" Pantherlily questioned the three strangers. The 1st one was a woman with purple hair, save for a white streak, the 2nd one was a man with blonde hair with a butt chin, wearing sunglasses. The final stranger looked familiar; she was a young girl with brown hair and flushed cheeks, and her appearance was puppy-like. "Coco?! But that's impossible!" Lily stated as he recognized the girl.

"Hold on, Lily, you don't think she could've come to this world, do you?" Carla asked.

"Oh I remember, Coco's the girl who runs really fast that we met in Edolas," Happy recalled. "I know, she must've traveled to Earthland while we were all stuck on Tenrou Island!"

"She doesn't look that much older," Carla observed.

"Why are you here, Coco? Is there trouble?" Lily inquired as he approached the girl.

"Hey, quit talking like you know me, pussycat," the girl named Coco replied. "I've never met any of you, so shut up!"

"Are you serious?!" the black Exceed asked.

"Oh no, she has amnesia!" Happy cried.

"I doubt that," Carla said. "However, they could be..." Before she could finish, the group noticed some Fairy Tail members walking toward the guild hall.

"I'll beat that jerk next time!" Natsu exclaimed as he was still moping about his loss to Laxus.

"I wonder how Gajeel would've faired against Laxus," Wendy said.

"Maybe you can ask him when he comes crawling out of his hiding spot!" Elfman replied.

"Where could Gohan have gone?" Lisanna wondered.

"Probably went looking for Gajeel," Romeo said.

The group the noticed the three strangers at their guild hall. "Looks like we've got visitors," Max noted.

"Oh, customers!" Mira chirped.

Wendy gasped as she pointed at Coco. "Isn't that girl from Edolas?!"

"Yeah, Queen Shagot, right?" Natsu asked.

"No, she's a cat," Wendy corrected him.

After figuring out that the object her father sent her was a clock hand and deciphering its message, Lucy, Levy, and Michelle went back to the guild hall; they had just arrived when they saw the three visitors at the guild. "Coco? Long time, no see," Lucy greeted the young girl. "But how'd you get to Earthland from Edolas?"

The three only laughed at the fairies' confusion. "Sugarboy, these fools totes think we're like old chums of theirs."

"Mmmhmm, well I have to say it sounds like their problem, Mary Hughes," the man known as Sugarboy replied.

"Let's finish this quick before they invite us to stay for dinner," Coco suggested.

" _Mary_ Hughes?!" Natsu yelled.

"And Sugarboy?!" Lucy shouted.

"The weirdos we fought at the Royal City's amusement park!" Natsu exclaimed as he remembered the other two strangers.

"Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance," Lucy agreed as she inspected the strangers.

"What's with the lady clothes, pervert?! You trying to fool me or something?!" Natsu yelled as he pointed at Mary Hughes.

"I just met him, and I already want to kill him," Mary Hughes said as she was twitching in anger.

"If you folks aren't here to hire us…" Max started.

"…Then you can march right back where you came!" Laki finished.

The three intruders just laughed at their demands. "Hmm mmm, we ain't taking orders from slobs with no style, darling," Sugarboy declared.

"Say what?!" Natsu yelled.

"I'm only gonna say this once, so listen good!" Mary Hughes ordered the fairies. "I demand you give me Lucy Heartfilia, like, now!"

Lucy looked freaked out as Michelle remarked, "How forward, my heart skipped a beat."

"Oh wow, I've never seen a real wedding proposal like this," Happy said.

"Shut up, furball!" Mary Hughes yelled.

"It's not like that!" Lucy screamed.

"There's no point in hiding her from us," Coco assured.

"We, like, totes know the spoiled little twerp is a member of your guild," Mary Hughes said.

"Hmm mmm, why don't you make it easy for everyone and shimmy on over here, baby," Sugarboy suggested.

"What's going on?" Levy whispered to Lucy.

"Why are these rude people after you?" Michelle asked her sister.

"Believe me, I wish I knew," the celestial mage answered.

"You got some guts showing up out of the blue and disrespecting us like this!" Wakaba said.

"I'm the Master of Fairy Tail, and your request is denied, so I suggest you get out of here!" Master Macao ordered. "We're not known for our patience when we're dealing with cocky punks!"

"Especially when those punks are shouting orders. Rubs us the wrong way, you know," Max added.

"Like we'd run from kids, old men, and their cats!" Mary Hughes mocked.

"All those churches that have been burned down the past few weeks… it's you. You're behind them," Kinana accused them.

"Make sense to me," Carla said.

"Even without proof, the timing is too convenient!" Lily agreed. "They must be the culprits!"

The three suspects only laughed as if they didn't care about being accused of a few crimes."Spicy," Sugarboy remarked. "They're trying to serve up some guilt."

"Well, I'm not biting it!" Coco stated adamantly.

"Keep on playing the blame game if it helps you sleep at night," Mary Hughes said before repeating their demands. "Now hand over Heartfilia before we decide to get nasty!" In response, Sugarboy pulled out a wooden microphone that quickly extended. "We're gonna rock your world! I'd like to start off with this little diddy, uh huh!" He then started singing into the microphone, creating as terrible soundwave; needless to say, no one enjoyed it. "He needs to be put down," Max muttered. "Next up on the request line!" Sugarboy shouted as his clothes started to swell and oozing green objects began spilling out of his clothes.

"What the?!" cried a freaked out Levy.

"My lunch is coming back up," a nauseous Lucy muttered.

"Looks tasty to me," Michelle said.

Sugarboy's strange objects started attacking the Fairy Tail members. "Disgusting!" Lucy cried. Pretty soon, Max and Laki were surrounded by the green stuff. "What is this stuff?!" Max asked. "Slime?!" Laki realized. Elfman rushed toward the slime and tried to grab it, but his hand slipped into it as it began to swallow him up. "Hey, stupid sludge! Why don't you fight me like a real man?!" he cried. His sisters ran to his aid. "No, stay back! It'll grab you too!" he warned them. The slime then expanded and swallowed up all three Strauss siblings, despite his warning. "Yummy, wizards taste so… spicy!" Sugarboy sang.

"I can't move!" Mirajane strained.

"I know we're in trouble, but I can't help remembering when we used to snuggle like this as little kids," Lisanna said.

"This is no time to reminisce, sis!" Elfman berated her.

The Exceeds took to the sky with Carla and Lily carrying Wendy. "What's it doing to them?!" the Sky maiden asked.

"It appears to have a will of its own!" Lily observed.

"Well, whatever it is, don't let it touch you! Run away!" Carla warned. Natsu and Romeo were dodging the slime together while Levy, Lucy, and Michelle were running from the green ooze. Coco suddenly appeared behind Macao and Wakaba. "You're the Guild Master, correct?!" she asked Macao. "Unless you want them to get hurt, you'll hand over Lucy!" She jumped at the old mage and threw multiple kicks at him, to which Macao blocked most of them. "Beating up kids just isn't my style!" Macao commented. "Who the heck are you calling a kid?!" Coco demanded. She then backflipped away as Wakaba tried to hit her with his Smoke Magic. "This isn't the time to get soft on us, Macao! These guys are the enemy!" Wakaba told him. "I told you to call me master!" Macao said indignantly.

The old mages were surprised to see the girl standing horizontally on the watchtower. "Sorry, old timer, but attacks like that aren't going to hit me!" she taunted them. "Nimble little mage, don't you think," Wakaba commented. "Don't act all impressed." Macao sweatdropped. Coco then dodged a couple of fireballs from Romeo. "Get back here!" he cried as he threw more fire attacks at the girl. Coco started running across the guild hall, and Romeo's attack smashed into the building until Macao and Wakaba restrained him. "Stop it!" Macao ordered. "Yeah, you're gonna knock it down, kid!" Wakaba agreed. This distraction left the three mages to get swallowed up by the slime, as well. "Oh no, the slime has got them, too!" Laki, who was protecting herself with her Wood Maker Magic, cried. Max was doing the same with his Sand Magic. "Crap, they got us stuck playing defense back here!" he noted. Levy, Lucy, and Michelle were still fleeing from Superboy's green sludge. "What's with that stuff?! It just keeps getting bigger!" Levy shouted.

"Natsu, get your butt over here and roast this stuff already!" Lucy yelled. Speaking of the Fire Dragon Slayer, he was leaning against the wall looking pale and exhausted. "Our friends are being slimed, and you're taking a freaking nap?!"

"He looks so pale," Wendy remarked.

"Don't tell me his fight with Laxus is just now taking its toll," Carla said disbelievingly.

"Talk about rotten timing," Happy added.

Mary Hughes was laughing hard at the Fairies' predicament. "I'm, like, totally gonna die laughing at these losers!" she said while grasping her stomach.

"We got these boys and girls, uh huh," Sugarboy said.

"Guild Wizards are pushovers, I don't see the appeal," Coco commented.

Panthelily watched the three assailants from the sky. _"Coco...no, it can't be her. She absolutely hated violence!"_ Lily thought. _"Just the mere thought of harming others made her physically ill! But this girl..."_

"Alright, hound doggies, come home to papa!" Sugarboy ordered as he snapped his fingers, and the green slime was the sucked back into his clothes. Everyone who was absorbed by his "doggies" was now lying on the ground, looking weakened.

"Game, set, and match!" Coco declared. "You ready to give up yet?"

Max and Laki were panting heavily from exhausting their magic power. "Damn," Max cursed.

"We're running low on magic," Laki noted.

"They weren't this strong last time," Happy said.

"That's because these people are completely different from the ones you met in Edolas," Lily told him.

"They're the Coco, Hughes, and Sugarboy who have lived in Earthland from the very beginning!" Carla deduced.

"I get it," Wendy realized as she remembered Fairy Tail's Edolas counterparts. "It's just like how Edolas had its own crazy versions of us."

"Guess we should have expected to run into someone sooner or later," Lucy said. Levy seemed to understand while Michelle looked utterly clueless.

"You're wasting too much time, Lucy. Hurry up, or we'll show your little friends what we're really capable of!" Mary Hughes warned. "Sugarboy would love to play another solo!" She laughed.

"Don't listen to her, Lu," Levy told her.

"You can't give yourself up," Michelle agreed.

"They still don't know who Lucy is, yet," Natsu whispered as he attempted to stand on his feet. "The three of you go try to find gramps, and I'll deal with them somehow. Just don't keep me waiting long."

"We can't," Lucy said.

"We'll stay and fight with you!" Levy declared.

"Don't leave now! Don't you wanna play with us, too?" Mary Hughes asked creepily.

Romeo managed to get up a bit and create a yellow fireball. "Natsu, take this!" he called as he tossed the flame to his comrade.

"Thanks, Romeo," Natsu said as he caught the fireball; he shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it. "Ew, nasty!" he cried.

"Whoops! Sorry, wrong flame." Romeo apologized.

"Whatever, it'll do the trick for now!" Natsu declared as he ignited his fists. "Feel the burn!" The Salamander launched an enormous fire blast at the oppressors; the three stood there, unwavering as the flames approached them. "Spicy!" Sugarboy remarked.

"So he uses fire magic? Lame!" Mary Hughes said with a laugh. She then brought out a wooden hand and yelled, "Conducting art!" before pointing her wand in a different direction. Natsu's flame attack swerved and almost struck Max and Laki; the Fire Dragon Slayer seemed confused about what just happened.

"He attacked them!" Michelle stated as she ran with Levy and Lucy.

"But why?" Levy inquired.

"Wait a minute, is she...?" Lucy was about to ask before she was interrupted.

"Eat this!" Natsu shouted as he launched his breath attack at Mary Hughes. "Nope!" Mary Hughes said as she nonchalantly pointed her stick in another direction again. Natsu suddenly turned around, and his breath attack intercepted the fleeing girls' path. Levy crashed into the cliffside while Lucy and Michelle rolled on the ground. "Oh no!" Natsu cried, which made Mary Hughes laugh. "Nothing like a little friendly fire! Give us Lucy or the rest of your guild gets cooked!" she warned the fire mage before she was struck in the head by a rock. Both she and Sugarboy looked over and saw Kinana holding a pile of stones while shaking in fear. A brave but foolish attempt.

"Uh huh, sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but things are about to get real cruel," Sugarboy said.

"Totally. Get ready, top heavy, I'm about to make you eat those rocks," Mary Hughes muttered as she was shaking with anger, a dark aura surrounding her.

"Runaway, Kinana!" Pantherlily yelled as he flew to aid her.

"So the little kitty wants to play!" Coco shouted as she kicked Lily out of the sky.

Wendy jumped at Mary Hughes and Sugarboy and cried, **"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"** unleashing a giant gust of wind at her enemies.

"Bad move, kid," Mary Hughes told her as she redirected Wendy's attack to hit Natsu.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried as her comrade was sent flying out of sight.

"It's because of that weird stick!" Happy realized.

"Yes, you may be right," Carla agreed. "Perhaps… it can take control of people?"

Lucy laid on the ground in pain; she looked over to the side and saw her father's memento out of its case. _"I can't just stand by and watch; maybe I should call a celestial spirit,"_ she thought as she reached into her back pouch and pulled out her whip. _"I could try using the whip that Virgo gave me, but I can't seem to make it work."_ Natsu rested on the ground looking motion sick while Wendy attempted to heal him. "How are you sick?" Happy asked him.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault!" Wendy wailed.

"That slime really took a lot out of me," Elfman muttered as he laid on top of his sisters.

"You're crushing me, Elfman, I can't breath," Lisanna gasped.

"Oh no, everyone else has been taken down, too," Mirajane noticed as she saw all of her guildmates lying flat on the ground.

"Well, this sucks," Wakaba remarked.

"Think I'll stay here for a bit," Macao moaned.

"I can barely stand up," Max said while trying to help Laki up.

"All of our magic power was sucked away," Laki stated.

"What do you want with Lucy?!" Pantherlily demanded to know.

"None of your business, fleabag!" Coco replied.

"Show yourself, Lucy, we're, like, totes getting bored," Mary Hughes ordered. Lucy appeared to be conflicted about what she should do; just as she was about to surrender herself, someone shouted, "Hey!" Everyone looked up to see Gohan in his purple Gi and weighted cape hovering right above them. "What's going on here?!" the Demi Saiyan questioned as he looked around and saw the majority of his guildmates beaten.

"Spicy, never thought I'd see the day when a child could stand in the clouds," Sugarboy said.

"He's probably using aerial magic, that kid's totes just another loser," Mary Hughes decided.

"I don't know, guys, I think he's kinda cute," Coco commented as the blush on her cheeks grew deeper.

The Son of Goku descended to the ground and stood before the assailants. "My name is Gohan, and I don't approve of people hurting my friends!" he stated.

"Gohan!" Wendy beamed.

"Alright, Gohan's here!" Happy cheered.

"About time you got here, child," Carla said, but even she was relieved.

"Heh! You jerks are in for it now!" Lucy told the trio. "You don't stand a chance now that one of our strongest members is here!"

The three oppressors looked at the half Saiyan before looking at each other in confusion. "This boy is one of their strongest members?" Coco wondered.

"Mmm hmm, seems to me like these folks took too many of our hits; they're talking crazy now," Sugarboy said.

"Totally, there's no way this kid is one of their strongest," Mary Hughes agreed. "But if he wants to play, then we'll have no problem with that."

"Who are you guys, anyway?" Gohan inquired.

"They're Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy," Wendy explained. "They attacked us because we wouldn't give them Lucy!"

"Lucy? What do you guys want with her?" Gohan asked the three.

"Listen, kid, all you need to know is that we're not leaving until we get Heartfilia, so unless you want to get hurt, you tell us where she is!" Mary Huges warned. "Your friends already paid the price for opposing us, so you should learn from their mistake."

Gohan glared at the attackers as he took a fighting position and declared, "If you want Lucy, you'll have to get past me!"

"Uh huh! Looks like playing nice ain't gonna work with Sky Boy," Sugarboy noted. "Guess it's time to get rough."

"Oh yeah, but don't say we didn't warn you, kid," Mary Hughes snarled. "Take care of him, Coco!"

"Right!" Coco said. She then ran around Gohan and appeared behind him; she tried to kick him, but he quickly blocked her approach. She continued her barrage of attacks, but Demi Saiyan managed to block all of them. "You're pretty good, handsome; too bad you're our enemy!" she told him, making him blush before he tossed her aside. Coco resumed running around Gohan to try and find an opening; the Saiyan's eyes were moving from side to side as he tracked her movements; he then fired a ki blast at her, intercepting her path, but she backflipped and landed on the side of the guild horizontally. "Wow, never seen someone do that before," Gohan said. Coco ran down the wall of the guild and circled Gohan again; the Z Fighter fired Ki blasts at her again, but she managed to outrun and dodge every one of them. "She's quicker than I thought," Gohan observed. She attempted to kick Gohan again, but he grabbed her foot and palm struck her in the stomach, knocking her into Mary two girls laid against the ground with swirls in their eyes.

"Way to go, Gohan!" Happy cheered.

Sugarboy stared at his defeated comrades in shock before looking back at Gohan. "Uh huh! Well, Sky Boy, since you gave me a nice performance, I'm gonna give you a real show!" he said before putting his microphone to his mouth; pretty soon, Sugarboy's green doggies started spilling out of his clothes again.

"What the heck is that stuff?!" Gohan questioned.

"Gohan, don't let it touch you! It'll drain your energy!" Wendy warned him.

"Spicy! Come on, my hound dogs! Go on and say hello!" Sugarboy ordered as his slime flew at Gohan; the Demi Saiyan quickly flew upward to avoid it. "You're pretty quick on your feet, I'll give you that, Sky Boy, but it doesn't matter if you're on the ground or in the air. You can't escape my doggies!" The slime stretched into the air and chased after Gohan; the son of Goku soared through the air with the green slime attack following his every move. "You're not making this easy, Sky Boy, so I'm gonna slow you down with a diddy I came up with myself!" Sugarboy then started singing into his microphone, creating a sound wave that hurt Gohan's sensitive ears a bit. The Saiyan covered his ears in response and became distracted, so he didn't notice the slime coming up behind him.

"Gohan, look out behind you!" Lucy called out in warning.

When the half Saiyan saw a shadow looming over him he quickly turned around, but he didn't react fast enough, and the slime consumed him entirely. "Gohan, no!" Wendy cried. "Oh, no! Gohan was swallowed up by that slime!" Carla shouted. Everyone watched in fear as Gohan struggled to break free from the green ooze. _"Ugh, I can barely move! What's this stuff made of?!"_ he thought. "That's right, hound doggies, enjoy the meal! I've got a feeling this boy's gonna taste real spicy!" Sugarboy sang. For a second, it looked like Gohan was in big trouble; but then he smirked before motioning his hands upward while opening his mouth to yell. "Now hold on Sky Boy, what the heck are you trying to do?!" Sugarboy questioned. The slime started to expand at a fast rate until it exploded into numerous pieces all around the Demi Saiyan. "Ugh, gross! I need something to eat to get this weird taste from my mouth," the Saiyan commented.

"What the heck did he just do?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"He blew all the slime away," Wendy realized.

"He must have used the force from his energy to free himself," Carl said.

"Alright, Gohan!" Happy yelled.

"Not bad, Sky Boy, but let's see ya do that again!" Sugarboy challenged. His hound dogs came together once again and flew at Gohan. The Z Fighter fired two Ki blasts at the green muck, but the attacks were absorbed into the ooze on contact. "Okay, that didn't work," Gohan said. "What's the matter, Sky Boy, running out of tricks?" Sugarboy asked triumphantly as his doggies closed in on the Saiyan. "You wish!" Gohan replied as he held out his hands; he gave a mighty yell as he released a kiai that pushed the slime aside. He then charged at the surprised Sugarboy with his right fist ready. "You're mine!" he cried as he jumped to punch the Mage; at the last second, however, he felt a strange sensation, and his fist hit the wall at the right side of Sugarboy's head, creating a dent in it. For a second, Sugarboy was too petrified by the boy's strength, and Gohan was also shocked at how he failed to hit his intended target. _"What the heck just happened?! Did he dodge my attack?!"_ he thought as he looked at Sugarboy's face. _"No, he couldn't have, but then how did I miss?!"_ The Demi Saiyan decided to try again by swinging his left fist, but he felt that sensation come back, and his fist swerved, striking himself in the face. Gohan staggered a bit before jumping away from Sugarboy.

"Whoa now, that was a close one there. Thanks, Mary Hughes," Sugarboy said.

" _What's going on?! What's that weird feeling I keep getting?! And why did I attack myself?!"_ he wondered. Gohan then noticed Mary Hughes standing and smirking while twirling her wooden wand. _"Is that her?! Is she the one causing that sensation?!"_

"I can't believe even Gohan was affected by Mary Hughes' magic power," Lily said.

"She really can control people," Carla realized.

"Gohan, be careful!" Wendy warned the Saiyan. "Her magic allows her to take control of you!"

" _So that's how it is. She's probably using that wooden hand to control my body,"_ Gohan thought. _"I'll just have to destroy it!"_ He raised his palms above his head and charged Ki into them. **"Masenko, ha!"** he shouted as he fired his signature attack at the conducting Mage.

"Nice try, kid,"Mary Hughes said as she waved her wand; Gohan suddenly lit up and redirected his attack toward Natsu, Wendy, and the Exceeds; the flying felines quickly grabbed the Dragon Slayers and flew upward, just barely avoiding the explosion from Gohan's attack.

"Are you guys ok?!" Gohan asked.

"We're fine!" Wendy replied.

"Wow, that was quite an attack, kid!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Hmm, I guess they weren't kidding when they said you were one of the strongest members of the guild," Mary Hughes admitted. "But now, you're my personal puppet."

"That's what you think, but I'm no one's puppet!" Gohan proclaimed as he charged another Ki blast, but Mary Hughes quickly retook control of him.

"Sorry kid, but I'm in charge here," Mary Hughes said. "Now hand over Lucy Heartfilia right now, or else your guild will suffer!"

"I'd never give up one of my friends, even if you can control my body!" Gohan shouted.

"Fine, but you were warned!" Mary Hughes told him as her wand glowed again. Gohan struggled against her control but was unable to resist it. His body turned toward the guild hall, and his hand channeled Ki into it.

"Leave him alone!" Natsu cried as he jumped to attack Mary Hughes.

"I don't think so!" she said as she twirled her wand again. Gohan stopped charging his energy blast and kicked Natsu in the stomach. The Salamander landed on his feet and grasped his stomach.

"Man, that actually hurt!" he groaned.

"Sorry, I tried lowering my Ki but it was still pretty strong," Gohan apologized.

"That's alright, Gohan," Natsu told him before he glared at Mary Hughes and yelled, "How about you stop controlling my friends and me and fight me yourself?!"

"No way, hothead! It's totes more fun to have the both of you fight each other!" Mary Hughes laughed. "We told you things were gonna get nasty if you didn't give us what we wanted." She moved her wand once more, forcing the Demi Saiyan to attack the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu! You're gonna have to hit me with everything you've got if you wanna stop me from hurting anyone!" Gohan told him as his body started channeling Ki. "I'll try to lower my energy as much as possible to give you a chance!"

"No way am I gonna fight you!" Natsu shouted.

" I thought you wanted a rematch," Gohan said as he tried to punch Natsu.

The son of Igneel quickly jumped to the side and answered, "Not like this, pal, especially when you're holding back!"

"Well, you don't have much of a choice! If you want to stop me, you're gonna have to do it!" Gohan exclaimed as he charged at Natsu again. The Fire Mage quickly jumped over the half Saiyan. "Wow, you're really moving much slower than usual, Gohan!" Natsu remarked. "That's because I've decreased my power!" Gohan explained. "Now hit me!" Instead of doing that, Natsu turned toward Mary Hughes and launched a fireball at her. She calmly used her magic to force the son of Goku to appear in front of her, and the Saiyan forcefully used a kiai to douse the flames. Natsu then charged at him with his fist on fire and struck Gohan in the face. Although he felt the pain from that attack, it wasn't enough to slow him down as Mary Hughes made him punch Natsu back. The Dragon Slayer staggered a bit before punching Gohan again. **"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist! Talon! Wing Attack! Sword Horn! Flame Elbow!"** Natsu used every one of his best moves on the Saiyan, but it barely fazed him, and if it did, it didn't matter since Mary Hughes just forced him to attack Natsu again. She made Gohan strike Natsu with multiple punches before kicking him toward Wendy and the Exceeds.

"Alright pinky, as much fun as this is, we've got a job to do!" Mary Hughes said. "So give us Heartfilia now!" She used her wand to make Gohan place his hands over his head and focus his Ki into them. Just as he was about to fire his attack at his guildmates, Lucy yelled, "Stop this! You have what you want now!" She hesitated in speaking again. However, before she could reveal her identity, Michelle cried, "I'm the Lucy Heartfilia you're looking for!" surprising everyone.

Since none of the oppressors knew Lucy's appearance, they were completely fooled. "Mmm hmm, you, huh?" Sugarboy asked.

"Be a good girl and park it right here," Mary Hughes told her.

"Don't do this," Lucy whispered to her sister, but she was ignored.

"I think there's been enough violence for one day!" she yelled as she approached the three Mages. "What exactly do you want with me?!"

"That's her momma. You know a little darling like this one grew up playing house at the Heartfilia Mansion, uh huh," Sugarboy said.

"She certainly looks the part," Coco agreed.

" _What the heck?! Don't they know what Lucy looks like?!"_ Gohan thought.

"Lucy Heartfilia, once the daughter of the Heartfilia concern and now a Celestial Wizard for the Fairy Tail guild, that about right?" Mary Hughes asked.

"Indeed that is, I am the girl of which you speak," Michelle lied while Lucy stood there in shock as her sister continued to sell herself out.

"What is she doing?" Natsu inquired.

"What if Michelle was the real Lucy all along?!" Happy suggested, which made Wendy giggle.

"This is ridiculous, I'm the real Lucy!" Lucy cried while waving her arms frantically, confusing the three Mages.

"Miss Michelle, it means the world to me that you're willing to protect me from them, but it's far too late for such deception to help us now," Michelle said while holding Lucy's hands.

"Have you gone completely crazy?!" Lucy questioned.

"They're so perceptive, I'm sure they'd figured it out instantly," Michelle said while pretending to weep. "And I'd hate for anything to happen to you on my account! Please, don't try to be a hero!" she begged her sister who was still staring at her, speechless.

"She's not bad, but her performance is a little over the top," Mira commented.

"Yeah, she's really into it," Lisanna added.

"So beautiful, so manly!" Elfman wept.

The two blondes went about stating that they were both Lucy Heartfilia, trying to convince the attackers. "Now what?" Coco asked.

"Uh huh, the real Lucy Heartfilia's supposed to be over 20 years old, ain't that right?" Sugarboy questioned while snapping his fingers. "Isn't pigtails a little on the young side?" Michelle nodded in agreement.

"That's because we spent 7 years sealed away on an island!" Lucy answered.

"Lucy, get back! I won't let them lay a finger on you!" Natsu called out, though he was speaking to Wendy, which confused Happy.

"Right, because I'm Lucy!" Wendy affirmed, catching on to Natsu's plan; the three Wizards looking for Lucy were now unsure of whom their target was.

"You mean her name's Lucy too?!" Coco yelled.

"You ready for another round Lucy?" Max asked Laki.

"Yep, let's do this!" she responded, playing along.

"What's going on here?!" the three Mages exclaimed.

"Can you stand on your own, Lucy?" Macao asked Levy as he and Wakaba helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied.

"Just take it easy for a bit," Wakaba advised.

"There's another one?!" Coco screamed in shock.

"Wow, I don't believe it," Lucy said.

"How wonderful," Michelle cried.

"I can't tell which is the real one! What are we gonna do?! Come on!" Coco shouted as she held her in panic.

"This is so stupid," Mary Hughes growled in frustration.

"Is your magic back too, Lucy?" Mira inquired.

"Yep, fresh as a daisy, Lucy," Lisanna replied.

"A devil in disguise," Sugarboy said.

"Game over, I'm Lucy!" Elfman cried with a blush on his face.

"No, you're not!" the real Lucy shouted.

Coco continued to cry in confusion. "They're totes annoying! Let's just capture the lot of them and sort it out later!" Mary Hughes suggested. "Uh huh," Sugarboy agreed before he sang to his microphone again. "Come on, hound dogs! Your captive audience wants an encore!" His slime oozed out of his clothes once more. "You're not going anywhere!" Natsu shouted. **"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"** He tossed a giant fireball at the enemy, which exploded, but the slime went through the flames and grabbed him. "Lucy, leave now!" he ordered. The Celestial Mage muttered, "No," and didn't move. Gohan jumped to attack Sugarboy, but the slime managed to grab him as well. "What are you waiting for? Go!" he yelled. Michelle grabbed Lucy's hand and whispered, "Let's go. They're distracting them; this is our chance to slip away unnoticed." Pretty soon, all of the fairies were fighting back against the oppressors. _"Guys, I'm sorry, and thank you,"_ Lucy thought as she and Michelle fled. The object in her hand suddenly started lighting up a bit, which got Mary Hughes' attention. "You see that, Coco?" she asked her comrade.

"We got runners!" she said.

"Fetch them for me!" Mary Hughes ordered.

"Right!" Coco complied, running after the blondes. "We're just getting started!" Macao announced as he, Romeo, Wakaba, and Levy launched magical attacks on the girl. **"Free Run, Unlock!"** Coco yelled, and she dodged the attacks by jumping high above the Mages and landing perpendicular to the cliff side. "8, 9, 9, and 10 points!" she announced. "What'd she do?" Macao questioned. "It looked like Free Run!" Levy stated. "It's a special athletic magic, it was banned cause so many wizards got hurt using it," explained Wakaba. Coco began running up the cliff vertically as if she was running across the ground. "I'll weigh her down!" Levy declared. **"Solid Script, Iron!"** She wrote the word iron in the air, and a giant version of the word made of iron was tossed at Coco. "Nope," Mary Hughes said as she used her wand to redirect the iron to squash Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo.

" **Sand Slash!"** Max shouted as he launched his Sand Magic at Sugarboy.

" **Wood Make: Violent Approach!"** Laki yelled, creating a spiked wooden ball to attack the same Mage.

Both of their attacks were immediately caught by Sugarboy's doggies and swallowed up. "Uh huh, I gotta decline, baby. Sand and wood aren't a good match for my little pups!" Sugarboy said.

"We didn't even faze it!" Max complained.

"It's just too strong!" Laki noted.

The battle between the Fairies and the oppressors continued on with the Fairies still not winning despite having the numbers advantage. Sugarboy's slime had managed to grab Max and Laki as he continued to sing. "It's now or never, baby. Unless you want my hounds to keep blubbing your tender, you'll tell me where I can find Lucy Heartfilia," he warned the Mages. Pantherlily entered his Battle Form and tried to strike Sugarboy with his giant sword, but the slime blocked it. "Uh huh, your little change almost caught me off guard; lucky for me, I've seen it before," the singer revealed. "What?!" Lily questioned. The black Exceed was suddenly struck in the back by Natsu's Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. "It's not me, I swear!" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed frantically. Elfman rushed at Mary Hughes with his fist ready. **"Beast Arm, Iron Bull!"** he shouted as he swung his fist, but Mary Hughes used her magic again and redirected it to sock Macao and Wakaba. "You're pissing me off! It's totes hard to fight with all these control spells!" Natsu growled.

"Hey, totes is my word, chump, so, like, find your own slang!" Mary Hughes yelled.

"Like, learn to fight fair instead of using live boogers and a stick!" Natsu shouted back.

"Let's get this show on the road, I got a feeling that Coco is chasing after the real deal Lucy," Sugarboy called to his accomplice.

"You hear that, poser? Your friend is totes as good as ours!" the conductor taunted.

"We're not letting you get away!" Natsu declared.

"You're funny! But you aren't going to have any choice in the matter; my conducting art lets me control anyone!" She emphasized her point by using her magic on the Fire Dragon Slayer. Natsu's body lit up as his fists ignited on its own.

"There ain't no way! I ain't letting you control me!" Natsu yelled as he fought Hughes' control, but try as he might, his fire fists suddenly started repeatedly punching him in the face.

"Natsu's in big trouble, Carla!" Wendy said as she watched her fellow Dragon Slayer getting beat up, or rather, beat himself up.

"You should worry about yourself, child!" Carla scolded her as she attempted to pull Wendy free from the slime.

"Leave him alone!" Gohan cried as he flew at Mary Hughes with Ki in his hands.

"Ah, my favorite little puppet has returned to play!" she said gleefully before switching her magic from Natsu to Gohan; the Demi Saiyan soon found himself getting pounded in the face by his own fists. "Yeah, bring it home, puppet!" she shouted as she directed Gohan to slam his Ki into the ground, creating a massive explosion. Everyone watched as the erosion shine upward. In the city of Magnolia, the smoke from the combustion could be seen by Jet and Droy. When the smoke died down, Gohan and Natsu were lying on the ground, but Mary Hughes and Sugarboy had managed to slip away.

* * *

Late at night, Gohan, Wendy, Carla, and Pantherlily were flying high above a canyon, searching for the Celestial Mage and her sister. "Lucy! Michelle! Where are you?!" Wendy called out.

"Hey! Where are you guys?!" Gohan shouted.

"Even if they went looking for the master, we have no way of knowing which way they went," Carla said.

"Has your noise picked up anything, even faint?" Lily asked the Sky maiden.

"I'm sniffing like crazy, but I can't sniff them out for some reason," Wendy replied.

"What about you, Gohan, can you sense their life force?" Carla inquired.

The Z Fighter shook his head. "I still haven't mastered sensing Ki in a place nondependent on it, and Lucy isn't as strong as say, Natsu or Gray, so her Ki is hard to detect, even harder when she's hiding or inactive," Gohan explained.

"What about Michelle's?" Wendy asked.

"Michelle's Ki is… kinda off, like her life force is not her own or something. I can't detect it," Gohan answered.

* * *

Back at the guild, the other members were recovering from the fight while explaining what happened to Jet and Droy. "Then they both took off. Natsu, Wendy, and Gohan went looking for them a while ago," Levy told her teammates.

"We're pathetic! I can't believe we let those clowns take control of us like that!" Elfman said, ashamed.

"Yeah, there were only 3 of them, and we were completely at their mercy," Lisanna remarked.

"Even Gohan could barely take them, and he defeated Laxus with ease," Romeo added.

"Somehow I doubt we've seen the last of those 3," Mira said.

* * *

Gohan suddenly sensed someone coming their way. "Heads up, we've got company!" he alerted his friends. Pantherlily spotted the person running up the canyon wall toward them with great speed. "Get back here!" Coco screamed. "Coco?!" Lily called as the athlete jumped off the wall and swung her leg at the Fairies. Gohan instinctively dodged her, but his friends weren't fast enough and were struck out of the sky with one swift kick. Being the only one who couldn't fly, Wendy began to scream as she fell toward the ground. "Wendy!" Carla cried as she and Lily dove after her. Gohan suddenly appeared below her and caught her bridal style. "Are you ok, Wendy?" he asked. "Yeah, thanks, Gohan," she said. The Saiyan nodded to her before glaring at Coco, who had just landed on the side of the canyon.

"9, 8, 10, and 10 points!" she cheered.

"This isn't a game, Coco! You could've killed her!" Lily shouted to the girl.

"I've lost track of Lucy, so tell where's she's hiding!" Coco demanded. "Unless you wanna eat my foot again. Oh, and while we're at it, I hate cats! So please quit talking like we're best friends!"

Lily grew pale as the girl's words continued on in his head. "Wow, harsh," Gohan muttered. "We don't know where Lucy is!" he told her.

"Well then, maybe we can help each other out. What do you say, cutie?" she asked Gohan. "Let's find Lucy together; it could be fun."

"Forget it! I'm not helping you capture one of my friends!" Gohan yelled.

"You tell her, Gohan!" Wendy cheered.

"Too bad, 'cause now I can't let you get to her!" Coco said before she started running around the canyon wall. She continued to circle around her foes with great speed; Gohan was able to keep up with her movements, but his guildmates weren't. "What do we do?" Wendy asked. "She's so fast I'm not sure there's anything we can do," Carla answered. "We need to beat her so we can find Lucy," Gohan said. Pantherlily seemed conflicted at first, but then he closed his eyes and entered his Battle Mode. "Gohan is right, we have to defeat her!" he declared. "Even though she's the spitting image of Coco, she isn't the one we knew in Edolas! I really should've known better… stand back ladies and let us handle it!"

"Would you just spill it?! I'm running out of patience!" Coco cried as she charged at Gohan and Lily. The black Exceed threw a punch at her, but she jumped over his fist and started running again. "Just tell me where I can find her!"

"Let me try! **Sky Dragon's Roar!"** Wendy fired her breath attack at the older girl, but she easily dodged the attack. "No, I missed!"

"She can even outrun your Sky Magic?" Carla questioned in surprise.

"Outrun this then! **Masenko, ha!"** Gohan fired his signature beam at the fast girl.

" **Free Run Unlock!"** she yelled. Her speed increased greatly, allowing her to escape the Demon Flash attack from the Saiyan. "Missed me, cutie!" she said while winking.

"We're getting nowhere fast!" Gohan growled. "Guys, listen, we can't all be here dealing with her while her friends are still after Lucy, so the three of you get out of here while I'll hold her off!"

"But we can't leave you!" Wendy argued.

"Don't worry, I can handle her! She may be fast, but I'm faster!" Gohan assured her. "Just go find Lucy, and when you're clear, don't stop!"

Wendy looked like she wanted to argue against it, but she was suddenly hoisted into the air by her white cat. "Gohan is right, child," Carla told her.

"Our priority is to find Lucy, we must let Gohan handle Coco! He's probably the only one who can since he didn't meet her Edolas version," Lily reasoned. "Just try not to hurt her too much Gohan."

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her that much. Just make sure you guys find Lucy!" he said. The Exceeds grabbed the Sky Maiden and took off. Coco yelled, "Don't even try it!" as she ran to stop them, so Gohan fired a Ki blast to intercept her path. She backflipped to avoid the attack but found the Demi Saiyan standing on thin air, blocking her from going after his guildmates. "So you wanted me all to yourself, huh, cutie?" Coco teased. "I knew you couldn't resist me!" "I'm only gonna say this once, if you don't wanna get hurt, then go back to where you came from!" Gohan warned her; the girl simply laughed and said, "Sorry handsome, but I can't do that."

"I guess I have no choice but to fight you," Gohan said. "But first, tell me what you want with Lucy!"

"We don't actually want her, just that thing she has," Coco replied.

"Thing? You mean the stick she got her from her father?!" Gohan inquired, to which Coco nodded. "What would you need that for?!"

"The Archbishop has plans that require that piece, and the Legion Platoon is going fulfill his wishes at any cost," she answered.

"But that was a gift from her father before he died!" Gohan argued. "You can't just take it! Do you have any idea what it's like to have a memento from your dead parent?!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, cutie, but it's the will of the Arch Bishop, and as a member of the Legion Platoon, I must carry it out!" Coco responded.

"The Legion Platoon?" Gohan questioned.

"We're Zentopia's elite combat squad! The Legion Platoon is made up of the best warriors in all of Zentopia who are assigned to tasks by the Arch Bishop," she explained. "Hmm, I've said too much; you're very easy to talk to, unlike your guildmates. It's too bad you're not a part of the Legion; you'd fit in perfectly, and we'd get to be great friends!" She winked at him, making him blush.

"Just tell me one more thing. Are you guys the ones responsible for burning down those Church buildings?" Gohan asked.

Coco shook her head. "Sorry handsome, but the Legion Platoon aren't your culprits," she answered. "Why would members of a Church cause harm to other churches?"

"I see. I guess that's enough talking for now," Gohan said as he took a fighting position.

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to fight me?" she inquired.

"If you guys keep attacking my friends, then I will fight you!" Gohan declared.

Coco signed before running toward the Demi Saiyan; she threw multiple kicks at the Z Fighter, but he blocked all of them. She finally landed a kick to his face, but Gohan shook it off and palm struck her away. The athlete began running up the canyon walls and Gohan flew after her. He caught up to his opponent and threw a punch at her, but she blocked it and the two were locked in combat. Coco then backflipped as Gohan threw another punch at her, which missed her and smashed into the side of the canyon, shattering it. Gohan then charged at her again as she charged at him; they both prepared to kick each other when Gohan sensed something far away. This distraction left him open and Coco managed to kick him away. Gohan fell to the ground and quickly got back up. _"I sense two energies clashing. They're not as strong as me but their power levels are higher than Laxus,"_ he thought. The Saiyan was then snapped out of his thoughts when Coco kicked him in the chest, pushing him back a bit.

"It's rude to ignore the girl you're spending time," Coco mocked. "Or are you letting me win? What a gentleman; but if you're not going to take this seriously, then you might as well stay out of our way!"

"Sorry, won't be distracted again!" Gohan promised her.

Coco ran at Gohan again, intending to punch him; when she got close, she threw her fist forward, only for her to strike the air. "What the?!" she exclaimed before she heard someone say, "Looking for me?" and was kicked in the abdomen by the half Saiyan. She slid on the ground before backflipping and running across the canyon wall again. She ran in a circle before abruptly stopping when Gohan appeared in the air a few inches in front of her; she looked surprised at first but then turned around and started running the other way. She stopped again when Gohan phased in her path. Every attempt she made to outrun him, he would appear right in her path. "How are you doing that?!" she questioned.

"You may be fast, but I've encountered people with your kind of speed before, so keeping up with you is not hard for me!" he replied.

"Guess I'll just have to take you head-on!" Coco declared as she charged at him again. Gohan smirked as he said, "That's not all I can do." Coco attempted to kick him with all her might but was shocked when her foot went right through her target. Multiple Gohans suddenly appeared with different facial expressions. "Whoa, too many cute boys! What is this?!" she cried. "This is another move that involves speed; it's called the Afterimage technique," Gohan explained. "It's where I run so fast that I'm able to project images of myself, and as long as I keep running, the images keep appearing," The son of Goku then stopped in front of her and his afterimages faded away. "You see now? You don't have much of a chance against me, so your best option is to give up," he warned her. Before either of them could make another move, a green light exploded in the sky: a signal flare from Mary Hughes to indicate that their mission is complete. "What is that?" Gohan wondered. When the light died down, he turned to face Coco, only to find that she had fled. "Where'd she go?!" he asked.

He then flew out of the canyon and looked around for the athlete, but there was no trace of her. "She must've slipped away when that flare went up, which means it was a signal from one of her comrades!" Gohan deduced. "They must've gotten a hold of Lucy's gift! I gotta find them!" The half Saiyan flew high into the air and went searching for the Legion Platoon. Moments later, he was still searching for the Legion while he started thinking about what the clues he acquired. _"What does a bunch of elite warriors want with Lucy's gift? And if they're not the ones setting fire to Church buildings, then who is? Are these two things even connected, or is it just a coincidence? It doesn't make any sense!"_ Gohan then spotted something moving through the air. _"Is that an octopus?!"_ Indeed it was, but what really caught his eye were the people riding on top of the sea creature. 1 out of the four he didn't recognize, but the other three he knew very well: Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy.

"The Legion Platoon! And they've got Lucy's gift!" he stated when he saw Mary Hughes with the clock piece.

 **A/N: Done! Phew, this was a tough one, but I got it done. Now I know some of you may think that Gohan may be able to easily dominate the Legion Platoon, but you need to remember that this is a foreign world to him, so he won't want to go full strength since he's a pacifist. Plus, he can't really determine their power levels since sensing Ki is hard in Fiore, so he also underestimates his opponents, and since they use magic, not Ki, Gohan has very few attacks for countering their tricks since he hasn't fought that many people with magical abilities in his world. Mary Hughes is also capable of controlling humans/demons; Gohan is half human so there's no law that says he's immune to her control or that it's just magic she can force her puppets to use. (Just go along with it, it's more interesting that way.) And Sugarboy's slime can absorb attacks and become them; this may also include Ki attacks since they can be touched just like any other magical attacks. (Again, please go along with it!) Now, news flash, I've changed the plot back to another dimension instead of universe 10, but I'm still planning to use Black Goku in my story, I'm just changing a few things. Also, I've put up a poll asking if Gohan and Mirai Trunks should learn magic; I got 6 for yes and 7 for no! Why do more people not wanna see if they can learn magic, and for those who do, what it would be? Aren't you curious? Anyway, that's all for now, stay tuned for the next chapter where Gohan takes on most of the Legion Platoon alone!**

 **Recommendations: Escalation by heroman45**

 **This War of Mine by Sivam-Surprise**

 **One's Road to Remembrance by Insane Dominator**

 **The Kunoichi Twins by Sally B. Mcgill**

 **The Golden Fairy by Superale2**

 **RWBBY – The Shapeshifter by sparkydragon98**

 **Five Elements by AntiHero627 ;)**

 **TTFN AntiHero out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey there, long time! Sorry to keep you all waiting, it's kinda hard for me to focus on one fanfic at a time, so I tend to work on them all for some reason; it's just how I am. Plus, I just finished with my exams so now I'm free again. Now I've got a lot of making up to do, but good news is, while I was studying, I was also brainstorming for my fanfics. Anyway, I'm finally ready to get back to Dragon Tail Z, so thank you all for your patience and your reviews! Now back to the story.**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Warning: Spoilers for those who haven't seen!**

 **Chapter 10 – Key of the Starry Heavens**

Late at night, most of the members of Fairy Tail had gathered at their second guild hall and were discussing the recent events that just took place. "What?! Are you serious?! The Legion Platoon?!" Wakaba exclaimed after Gildarts told everyone what he learned about their attackers.

"So you're saying our attackers were followers of Zentopia?" Cana asked.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it," Gildarts confirmed.

No one could hide their shock, curiosity, or confusion from this news. "But why would the largest church in Fiore do something like that?" Macao wondered.

"Not entirely sure, but the man I fought mentioned something about a Holy War," the Crash Mage responded.

Natsu slammed his hand on the table in anger. "All that matters is that they stole from Lucy!" he yelled. "I promise, we are going to get back what rightfully belongs to you!" The Celestial Mage nodded to her friend while still looking down in depression.

"It's not your fault they were able to take it," Happy assured her. "That creepy girl had you under her controlling spell."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could've done something to help you," Michelle apologized.

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, Michelle," Lucy said in despair. "It's all on me, because… I'm too weak." Seeing his friend like this made the Fire Dragon Slayer frown.

"A series of church attacks just before the Zentopia Founding Festival," Master Makarov pondered. "A mysterious clock hand inscribed with an ominous phrase, which is also sought by the Legion Platoon. And now, there's talk of a Holy War."

"Well I'll say this much, those guys made a big mistake when they chose to mess with a member of the Fairy Tail guild!" Natsu declared and Happy nodded in agreement."This thing is just getting started, that's for sure!"

"Was anyone able to follow them and figure out where they were going?" a shirtless Gray questioned.

"According to Warren, every single search team lost sight of them," Erza answered. "But I agree with Natsu, it's not over by a long shot."

Natsu punched his palm in excitement. "Alright! Let's hunt 'em down and teach them a lesson they're never gonna forget!" he suggested. "Who's with me?!" Seeing her guild's refusal to back down, Lucy stood up and smiled, now filled with a new resolve.

"First, we need to try and make sense of what we're facing," Erza said. "The Legion Platoon attacked us to steal the clock hand, and during the battle they mentioned something about a Holy War. Why would they need that item? Does it play a role in this impending war? And what does that strange inscription mean?"

While the guild was discussing some things, Carla, Wendy, and Pantherlily were searching for Zentopia's warriors. Carla suddenly had a vision of the Archbishop running through darkness, until he looked back and saw Lucy's clock hand being unwrapped; he stared at it in horror while muttering the inscription, _"Time ticks forward, on toward inevitable chaos!"_ Darkness began to spread and an enormous, sinister-looking eye opened. Carla gasped as her premonition ended.

"Is something wrong?" Wendy asked.

"No, it's nothing," the white cat replied and the three continued their search.

Elsewhere, the son of Goku was still searching for the Legion while he started thinking about the clues he acquired from Coco. _"What does a bunch of elite warriors want with Lucy's gift? And if they're not the ones setting fire to church buildings, then who is? Are these two things even connected, or is it just a coincidence? It doesn't make any sense!"_ Gohan then spotted something moving through the air. _"Is that an octopus?!"_ Indeed it was, but what really caught his eye were the people riding on top of the sea creature. One out of the four he didn't recognize, but the other three he knew very well: Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy.

"The Legion Platoon! And they've got Lucy's gift!" he stated when he saw Mary Hughes with the clock piece. "Gotta tell the others!" Gohan attempted to send his thought to Warren via telepathy, but he couldn't get anything. _"I must be out of range,"_ he realized as he watched the Octopus get farther away. _"Guess I'll just have to handle this alone."_ The Demi Saiyan raised his hands above his head and focused his Ki into them. " **Masenko, ha!"** He fired his signature beam at the Octopus, striking it and sending it plummeting toward the earth. Gohan flew over to where the Legion Platoon landed. The sea creature rested in a large crater on its side while the Legion Platoon was on Sugarboy's doggies.

"Whoa, that was close," Coco said. "What happened?"

"Something, like, totes knocked us out of the sky," Mary Hughes replied.

"Who would dare attack us?" the leader of the Legion questioned angrily.

"Mmm hmm, you think some of those spicy wizards managed to find us?" Sugarboy asked.

Coco suddenly pointed toward the sky and shouted, "Up there, look!" The Z Fighter landed in front of the Legion Platoon with a stern look on his face. Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy stared at the boy they remembered from before while their leader just looked at the child with a neutral expression. "It's Sky boy!" Sugarboy exclaimed.

"What's the deal, Coco? I thought you gave this kid the slip!" Hughes said.

"I did!" Coco responded before addressing the Saiyan. "Although I'm flattered that you came running back to me, how did you find us?!"

"Kinda hard to miss a giant octopus jumping around," Gohan answered.

"Are you the one who struck Kanaloa out of the sky?" Lord Byro asked Gohan, to which he nodded. "Such insolence."

"Sorry, but you guys took something that belongs to a friend of mine, and I'm here to get it back!" Gohan declared as he took a fighting stance.

"Are you saying you intend to fight us alone?" Byro asked the Saiyan in disbelief. "How arrogant of you, boy. Do you really believe you can take on the Legion Platoon single-handedly?" Byro's face became sterner as Gohan's expression remained calm. "A grave mistake that you will pay for. Coco, Hughes, Sugarboy, take care of this brat!"

"Yes sir!" Coco exclaimed.

"You got it, boss," Sugarboy assured.

"Let's teach this kid a lesson!" Mary Hughes proclaimed.

In that instant, Gohan vanished from sight. Suddenly, Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy felt sharp pains in the back of their heads before they passed out and collapsed on the ground. Lord Byro looked at his comrades in shock as Gohan reappeared in front of him. _"Did this boy just take out Coco, Hughes, and Sugarboy?"_ Byro thought. _"He was so fast that I didn't even see him move."_

"I've already had to deal with these three and their tricks," Gohan said. "I held back at the time, but now playtime is over."

"You have made another mistake, child," Byro accused the Saiyan. "You incapacitated my comrades but you left me, the strongest of the Legion Platoon, standing."

"Don't misunderstand my actions," Gohan corrected him. "I didn't take you out for two reasons. First, I needed someone to tell me why this Archbishop wants Lucy's clock piece and to carry these guys back where they came from. Second, you're the one holding the clock piece, so I wanted to fight you to get it back."

"You are as foolish as you are arrogant," Byro stated. "You think you can fight the leader of the Legion Platoon?"

"You're one of the energies that I sensed awhile ago," Gohan deduced. "You must've been fighting someone really strong. So who were you fighting?"

"One of your guildmates: the Ace of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive," Byro replied.

" _The other energy I sensed was Gildarts? If this guy can compete with Fairy Tail's strongest mage, he's gotta at least be stronger than Laxus,"_ Gohan thought before smirking. _"I might be able to have a little fun before I beat this guy."_

Lord Byro raised an eyebrow when he saw the Z Fighter was smiling. "What would you have to smirk about, boy?" he questioned.

"Let's just say I'm kinda excited to fight someone who might be stronger than the last mage I fought," Gohan answered.

"Don't mock me, child. I've been trained to fight against 50 warriors with no weapons all at once," Byro revealed. "If you wish to challenge me, then be my guest. But be warned, only 4 people in Fiore are capable of matching me in battle."

"Better add one more person 'cause I'm about to become the 5th," Gohan declared; he then thought for a moment about what he was doing. _"Weird, I'm not normally this cocky and I don't usually egg people on. Is spending time with the Fairy Tail guild really starting to change me?"_ Gohan was abruptly interrupted from his thoughts when Byro swung his staff at him, though the Saiyan easily blocked it with his forearm. Byro attempted to kick Gohan in the chest but he caught the man's knee with his left palm. "Not bad, but you'll have to do better!" he exclaimed.

"Believe me, boy, I will!" Byro assured him. Gohan was then struck with an elbow bash to the face. He backflipped and rushed at the Legion leader, but Byro blocked Gohan's kick with his staff before kicking him away. Gohan was then smacked in the head by Byro's staff, punched in the gut by Byro's fist, and then slammed on the ground and stomped on by Byro's foot. It looked like Gohan was unconscious since Byro couldn't see his face and he wasn't moving. "I warned you, boy, those who stand in my way will be crushed like insects," Byro muttered as he turned to leave with the clock piece when he heard the sound of someone getting up. He turned to see Gohan standing on his feet smiling, with no sign of injury from Byro's attacks. "What? But how?" Byro questioned.

Gohan chuckled before saying, "Yep, you're definitely stronger than you look." He then removed his weighted cape. "But then again, so am I!" Gohan suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of his had no time to react as he was struck in the jaw by an uppercut from the half-breed. Byro staggered before swinging his staff at the boy; Gohan blocked it and skull bashed the older warrior. He then kicked Byro in the head, knocking him flat on his back. Byro stared at the boy with wide eyes. He could hardly believe there was a man in this world capable of putting him down, but a child? That seemed improbable to him. "What's wrong? Have you given up already?" Gohan inquired.

Byro got over his shock and stood on his feet. "No. As a member of the Legion Platoon, I cannot accept defeat, especially to a child." He then placed Lucy's clock piece in the ground vertically. "I must admit, you're much stronger than I expected. However, I must complete my task."

"So you put the clock hand down. Does that mean you plan on taking me seriously, 'cause I was getting kind of insulted at the fact that you thought you could fight me with one arm," Gohan remarked.

"Apologies. Now I will show what I can really do," Byro responded. He then held up his hand and gestured for Gohan to come at him. The Demi Saiyan smiled and charged at the Zentopian soldier; he threw a fist at him and Byro countered with his own fist.

Meanwhile, at some large church hall in the midst of a few trees, Lahar of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, along with a few Rune Knights from the Magic Council, was keeping watch from on top of a cliff. Lahar and his men stood attentively when they were approached by another Rune Knight. "All clear so far. Nothing unusual to report from the other two parishes, sir," he reported.

"Very good," Lahar said.

"But what if the next attack is somewhere other than the three locations?" another Knight questioned.

"There is a slim chance," Lahar admitted. "But still, after investigating the prior incidents and some expert divinations, we were able to narrow it down to the three most likely targets. I have faith in our intel, though I do wonder how things are with Tyson."

"Is there anyone inside?" a Knight asked.

"At this late hour? The priest assured us that it's empty," another Knight replied.

Inside the church, the priest, wearing a white-colored cloak, was kneeling at the altar which bore the Zentopia symbol, praying. The priest suddenly heard a noise from behind and quickly turned around; what he saw made him widen his eyes in fear. Staring back at him was a giant mechanical teddy bear with a slot machine screen on its chest and a lever attached to its gut. The creature smiled evilly at the priest and laughed. "Hot payoff time!" it cried with its modified voice. "Stop right there!" the priest ordered as he pulled out a silver celestial key and pointed it at the trespasser. "If you think I'll go down quietly, you're dead wrong!" The intruder laughed again. "Oh please, go down as loudly as you want to!" It pushed its lever down.

Outside the building, a loud scream from the priest was heard, which alerted Lahar and the Rune Knights. "Did you hear that?" a Knight questioned.

"Someone screamed!" another Knight shouted.

"Quickly, get inside!" Lahar ordered. The Knights rushed to enter the church hall, but before they could, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky. Several Knights were electrocuted and the building was reduced to a pile of splinters and rubble. "No," Lahar whispered while shielding himself from the flying debris.

"Well, well, what do we have here?!" the attacker asked when he appeared from the destroyed building. "It's the Custody Enforcement Unit! Does the Magic Council know you boys are out past your bedtime?!"

"Are you the one behind these attacks?!" Lahar questioned the creature.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" it replied.

"Tell me who you are this instant!" Lahar demanded.

"Well, since you're asking so nicely, I'll tell you! The name's Jackpot, and I just live to play games! Don't you?!" Jackpot stated before pushing his lever down again. The slot machine screen on his chest spun and landed on three large metal tubs. "Now, what'll it be?! Wash tubs it is, then!" Metal wash tubs started raining down from the sky, bonking all of the Rune Knights on the head. "Would you look at that?! What a payoff! Let's move on to what I like to call Sorcery Rush mode!" Jackpot pushed down his lever again. The screen stopped at three pictures of lightning bolts. "Whoa! It's a lucky lightning bolt bonus!" Another lightning bolt came down from the sky, but this time it struck Jackpot.

"This is absurd," Lahar muttered while watching in surprise. "Complete and utter madness."

"We've got another spin coming up!" Jackpot announced, pushing his lever again; the screen revealed three suns with evil smirks. "Yes! A Devil Flush!" he cried with glee. The whole place was immediately set on fire. "This is one hot payoff!" Jackpot said before he started glowing and vanished, taking the flames with him.

The Rune Knights started ranting horror from what they just saw. "So that thing's the one behind the attacks," one of the Knights stated. "Yes, that part's been confirmed," Lahar replied. "It's all just some sort of silly game to him, which is even more frightening. I wonder how things are at Tyson's end…"

Meanwhile at another church hall, the sounds of someone fighting were going on. Inside, a woman wearing the same cloak as the priest from the church hall Jackpot destroyed was watching in fear as two warriors were fighting. One of the fighters was a tall, muscular man with greenish-blue eyes and long white hair that was held together in a ponytail style. He also wore a tight, light blue shirt adorning the Magic Council logo on his left side, as well as tiny gray suspenders worn underneath the shirt, a military coat with the Council logo on both arms that was being worn like a cape, white trousers, dark grey boots with black tips, white gloves, and a white and gold trucker hat with the Magic Council logo on its front. The second combatant was a large red humanoid machine with navy blue gems across its body. The parts that were his lower chest, arms, and stomach were pink, while his head, upper chest, wrists, and legs were dark red.

The man and the machine were locked in combat; the machine fired energy blasts while the man avoided them and attacked with punches and kicks. The machine grabbed the man's fist before punching him the face, kicking him in the gut, and tossing him aside. The man from the council quickly got up and cracked his neck; despite the number of bruises he had, he didn't seem bothered by them. "I can't believe I'm being tossed around by some red scrap machine," he said as he dusted himself. He then jabbed a finger at the fighting machine and declared, "Listen, you junkyard trash! When I'm through with you, there'll be too many pieces left to count! But first, you're gonna tell me why you've been attacking church halls and what you want from this lady!"

The machine didn't reply, it simply raised its hand and fired a green blast at the man; the man from the council crossed his arms to block the attack. After he did, he lowered his arms and smirked at the machine, but his expression quickly changed into a look of surprise when he saw the machine aiming at the woman. She pulled out a silver key in an attempt to defend herself. " **Open, Gate of the…** " she started to say before the blast was fired at her. The councilman quickly phased beside the lady and grabbed her before jumping toward the window, resulting in the church building exploding from the blast and the pair being flung through the air by the shockwave. The two landed on the ground with the man being on the bottom; they looked back the church hall and saw the whole place was on fire, rapidly burning to the ground. The woman looked at her home in despair as tears started to form in her eyes. The councilman stood up and faced the burning building with a glare as the fighting machine stepped out of it.

"I don't know what a machine like you could get out of destroying a building, but you just made a big mistake!" the man proclaimed as he took off his coat and tossed it aside. "Now that we're fighting outside, I don't have to hold back!" The man fired red energy blasts at the machine. The blasts collided with the attacker but when the smoke cleared, there wasn't a scratch on him. The red mechanism crossed his arms and the blue gems on its wrist began to glow green. When they stopped glowing, it charged at the councilman and started punching him rapidly. The man managed to grab the machine's fist and kicked the machine away. The attacker once again crossed his arms and they began to glow; when he was done charging, he fired a large green beam at the councilman, blasting him into the fiery church building. It didn't take long for the man to emerge from the flames with his shirt trashed. He placed his hands together and channeled his energy into them, while the Celestial mage watched in awe as these two warriors battled each other with powers she had never seen before.

The man used his energy to form a giant, spiraling, crimson-pink energy ball with a reddish-pink sphere in the center, and then he tossed it at his opponent. The attack crashed into the machine and consumed it in a massive explosion. When it ended, the man smirked, thinking that he won, but then sensed something above him and looked up just as the machine came down and bashed him into the ground. The machine then glanced over at the Celestial mage before it pulled out a red crystal blade. The oppressor flew toward the woman, who made an attempt to run but soon found herself pinned to a tree. The machine pointed the dagger at the mage who was struggling to get free while staring at the weapon about to impale her.

Before the blade could reach her stomach, a hand grabbed the machine's wrist; the councilman was struggling to keep the machine's weapon from piercing the Celestial mage. The machine managed to get the tip of the blade to jab the woman; in that instant, a bright red light began to radiate around the three. When the light died down, the celestial mage was covered with black markings. The machine pulled the knife back and the female mage collapsed on the ground, unconscious. The fighting mechanism knocked the councilman aside and muttered, "It is done, the link has been severed. My mission is complete." On that note, the machine disappeared.

The councilman quickly went over to the mage and began to check on her. _"This isn't good. Her heartbeat is low and her pulse is weakening,"_ the man thought. He placed his hands on her chest and started pushing. The black marks started fading away and her eyes slowly opened."Are you alright, ma'am?" the man asked her. She looked over to the burnt rubble that was once a building. "The curse didn't affect me, but I wish it did so that I wouldn't have to suffer this pain," she muttered. "My home is destroyed, the link is severed, and I've lost my magical power. I'm no longer a Celestial mage." Tears began to form in the former mage's eyes.

"At least you're still alive," the councilman said. He then brought out a communication Lacrima and started talking to it. "Howdy, there Tyson Hammer. Head Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit reporting! How are things on your end, Lahar?"

Back in the woods, the leader of the Legion Platoon was tossed into a tree by the Demi Saiyan. Byro stood up with many bruises on his body and cracked armor while Gohan barely had a scratch on him. Byro was taking deep breaths as Gohan slowly walked toward him. _"What sort of child is this?!"_ he wondered. _"I must be fighting at my best, and this boy looks as though I'm no challenge to him! How can he have so much strength? What kind of power is he hiding?!"_ Gohan stopped a few feet away from the Legion leader and Byro braced himself in case the boy decided to attack again.

"Listen, I know we're supposed to be enemies, but I don't really want to hurt you," Gohan spoke. "I just want what you guys stole from Lucy."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to take this clock hand, boy," Byro responded. "As a proud member of the Legion Platoon, I must fulfill my duty to the Archbishop."

"Are you saying that you'd risk your life for this Archbishop and for Zentopia?" the Saiyan inquired.

"Yes," Byro answered.

Gohan sighed as he realized that his opponent wasn't going to back down. "Then you leave me no choice; I'll have to end this now." He then raised his hand and aimed it at Lord Byro; his palm began to glow as he focused his Ki into it. His face showed seriousness as he prepared to fire an energy blast at the Legion leader.

"Go ahead and hit with your best shot, boy," Byro goaded. "I can neutralize any type of magic, so your attack won't harm me at all."

"That's what you think, but there's something you should know about me…" Gohan said when he finished charging his attack. "I don't use magic!" He launched the Ki blast at his opponent. Byro waved his staff in an effort to nullify Gohan's attack; however, the blast hit the ground in front of Byro, creating a small explosion that sent him flying backward into a tree. Byro landed on his face and Gohan lowered his hand.

"W-What?! H-How can there be any kind of magic that I can't neutralize?!" he managed to ask.

"Like I said, I don't use magic," Gohan repeated. "That should keep you down for now." He then walked over to Lucy's clock piece and plucked it out of the ground. "Sorry it had to come to this, but I have to give this back to my friend. A little warning, tell your friends not to mess with Fairy Tail again!" He turned his back to Byro and started to walk away when he felt a strange sensation and his body stopped moving on its own. "What?"

"Like, where do you think you're going, puppet?" asked a feminine voice.

Gohan managed to turn his head to see Coco, Mary Hughes, and Sugarboy had woken up from the nap he gave them and had joined their leader. Sugarboy was helping Lord Byro up along with Coco, while Hughes had her wand pointed at the Demi Saiyan. "Gotta say, that was a nice stunt you pulled, Sky boy. I was seeing stars before I knew what hit me, spicy!" Sugarboy commented.

"Geez handsome, you hit kinda hard for a kid," Coco groaned.

"We don't appreciate someone humiliating the Legion Platoon like that," Hughes said. "But you can make it up to us by giving us that clock piece. Now be a good boy and come here." She waved her hand and gestured the Saiyan to approach her. Gohan's entire body was shaking as he struggled to fight against Hughes' controlling spell. "That's it, just come over here," she said as the Saiyan moved closer to her. The son of Goku abruptly stopped moving; his body was still twitching but he wasn't moving any closer to Mary Hughes. "Huh? What the heck?!" Hughes exclaimed in surprise. "Come on, little puppet, get over here and give me that thing!" she ordered as she poured more magic power into her hand. Gohan gritted his teeth and clenched his fist while still not moving, and his body started emitting a white aura as he glared at Hughes.

"I won't let you control me again," Gohan muttered. "I'm not your puppet."

"What did you say?" Hughes questioned.

"I SAID I'M NOT YOUR PUPPET!" Gohan shouted as his aura exploded and blew the Legion Platoon back.

"Whoa! How did you do that?!" Hughes cried in shock.

"Just one of the many things I can do," Gohan replied. "I don't have the time to stick around so I'm just gonna leave." The Demi Saiyan turned and started walking off but had to stop when Coco appeared in his path. "Is there a problem?" he asked her.

Coco nodded. "As a member of Zentopia and of the Legion Platoon, I can't let you get away with that clock hand!" she declared. The Athlete threw multiple kicks at the Z Fighter, but he effortlessly blocked her attacks before knocking her over to her comrades.

"Why do you guys keep trying to stop me?!" Gohan asked. "Why can't you just back down?!"

"It is the will of the Archbishop, in order to invoke the Holy War," Byro answered. "It doesn't matter what comes our way, even if we have to attack your guild again, we will!"

"Then I'll just have to make sure you can't!" Gohan yelled. He then cupped his hands together and channeled his Ki into them. A blue orb appeared in between his palms. The Legion shielded their eyes from the light shining from Gohan's energy. **"Ka… me… ha… me… Ha!"** The half Saiyan fired a blue beam at the Legion Platoon, who stood paralyzed with fear at the kind of power this child was able to unleash; however, just before the blast could hit them, someone jumped in front of it while holding something big and shiny. The energy attack crashed into the shiny object and swirled into a ball before flying straight back at the one who fired it. Out of surprise, Gohan instinctively jumped into the air to avoid getting hit by his own attack. After he went airborne and his attack crashed somewhere else, Gohan was suddenly tackled and restrained by what felt like a full grown muscular man with furry arms. The Saiyan hybrid spotted a green beam coming right at him; he powered up and broke free from his bindings before swatting at the magical attack. The moment the attack came in contact with him, his body started glowing green.

After a second, Gohan checked himself when the light around him faded; he looked the same, but he could feel that something was wrong with him. He descended to the ground and noticed something off: the trees in the forest around him were much bigger than they should have been. He then saw the two members of the Legion Platoon that attacked him were towering over him like giants. "What the heck?! How'd I get so tiny?!" Gohan shouted in a squeaky voice before he realized what had happened. "That green blast must've shrunken me!"

"The boy fell for the trap, just like I calculated," one of the giants said. "Now Dan, if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure thing, Sammy!" the other giant exclaimed as he raised his foot over the Saiyan. "Sorry kid, I'll make this as quick and painless as possible!" The giant lowered his foot onto the boy, but Gohan quickly jumped to the side, avoiding the foot completely. When the giant saw that he missed his target, he attempted to stomp on him again. Gohan, using his superior speed, managed to evade all of the giant's attempts to squash him, and pretty soon, the other giant joined in and Gohan was dodging two giant feet. _"Guess my speed didn't shrink with my size,"_ he thought. The other members of the Legion Platoon watched dumbfounded as their comrades ridiculously tried to squash what could be seen as a speedy grasshopper.

"Come on, guys!" Hughes cried. "Would you just crush that pest so we can, like, totes go already?!"

"Whoa Nellie, Sky boy's still as quick as ever, spicy!" Sugarboy exclaimed.

"I'm not sure if I want them to squash him," Coco murmured.

"Enough of this nonsense! We're not here to play around with an insect!" Byro yelled. "Coco, grab the clock hand! Once it's secure, we'll retreat immediately!"

"Yes sir!" the Legion Platoon complied. Coco quickly ran toward Lucy's memento and picked it up while Sugarboy and Mary Hughes carried Lord Byro over to the giant octopus. The two trying to stomp on tiny Gohan went over to Kanaloa. Coco started running to join them on the enormous sea creature, but before she could jump onto it, something grabbed the clock hand and pulled on it, making her stop moving. She looked back and saw the mini Saiyan pulling on the clock hand. "What the?!" she screamed. "Looks like I kept my strength, too!" said Gohan. He then lifted the object, along with Coco and began shaking it. "Sorry Coco, but I'm taking this back!" He shook the piece so hard that the Athlete Mage was forced to let go and fell to the ground. Gohan then powered up and flew off with the clock hand. "We can still go after him! He's most likely heading toward his guild!" Coco said.

"No. We will retreat for now," Byro decided. "It doesn't matter if they have that piece; there are still other pieces that we need to retrieve. We'll come for that one later."

"Yes sir!" the Legion obeyed. The six fighters of Zentopia climbed onboard the octopus and the sea creature jumped away, heading back to where they came from.

"Well this sucks!" Gohan shouted angrily as he carried Lucy's clock piece on his back. "How am I supposed to be a great warrior if I'm the size of an ant?!" He then sighed to calm down. "Well, at least I got this back for Lucy. Maybe someone in the guild knows how to change me back to normal size." He then began to ponder about the motives of the Legion Platoon. "What do these want with this thing anyway? Why is it so important to this Archbishop guy? And what's this Holy War?"

" _Gohan? Gohan, are you there?"_ Warren's voice suddenly appeared in the mini Saiyan's head.

"Oh, Warren! Yeah, I'm here," Gohan replied.

" _Thank goodness. Where have you been? Everyone's been worried about you, kid,"_ Warren said.

"Sorry, I just had a run-in with the Legion Platoon," Gohan explained.

" _Wait, you managed to find the Legion Platoon?"_ Warren questioned. _"And you actually tried to take them on alone?!"_

"Yeah," Gohan answered sheepishly.

" _What? Are you hurt?! Why didn't you call us?!"_ Wendy's voice shouted in the Saiyan's mind.

"Heh! Sorry Wendy, I was a little miffed at what they did to us from before so I kinda wasn't thinking, plus I was out of Warren's range," Gohan said.

" _You shouldn't try to do everything on your own, child,"_ Makarov advised the boy. _"As a member of the Fairy Tail guild, we're supposed to stick together and look toward our family for support."_

" _Yeah man, we would have loved to teach those jerks a lesson,"_ Natsu put in.

" _I agree with flame breath, you should have called us for backup,"_ Gray added.

"Ok guys, I'll try not to do it again," Gohan promised.

" _Gohan, were you able to extract any information from the Legion?"_ Erza inquired.

"No sorry, they didn't tell me much," Gohan answered. "But the good news is that I managed to get Lucy's clock piece back."

" _Really! Thanks a lot, Gohan!"_ Lucy exclaimed happily.

" _You'd better get back here so we can fill you in on what we learned,"_ Warren told him.

"I'll be there soon," Gohan said.

" _Wait a minute, you said the good news was that you got Lucy's gift back. Are you saying there's some bad news as well?"_ Erza asked.

"Uh, you'll see it when I get back," Gohan told them. He flew faster toward the guild hall. When he got there he landed on the ground and used the clock hand to knock on the door. Romeo opened the door and said, "Hey Gohan, glad you're back bro-" but was surprised to see no one was there while the clock hand was standing in front of him. "Uh, Gohan, where are you?" "Down here!" the son of Goku answered him; the fire mage looked down and his eyes went wide when he saw the mini Saiyan lifting up the clock hand. "Hey, Romeo! Is Gohan back yet?" Lucy inquired. Romeo came inside with his right hand behind his back and his left hand holding the clock piece, while wearing a shocked look.

"Romeo, what's wrong?" Natsu questioned.

"Where's Gohan?" Wendy wanted to know.

Romeo just held up his right hand, revealing the pint-sized half Saiyan standing on his palm. "Hey guys," Gohan said. Everyone's eyes popped out of their heads.

After getting over Gohan's size and relaying the details of what the Legion Platoon might be planning to the mini Saiyan, Team Natsu had decided to go to Lucy's mansion for more clues. The next morning, the team, Michelle, and the mini Saiyan were gazing upon the house. "Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed in awe despite seeing this place before. "This place looks kinda familiar."

"It's where Lucy grew up," Erza reminded him. "We came here seven years ago."

" _Wow! This place is even bigger than the Capsule Corp,"_ Gohan thought.

"Does the family still own it?" Gray asked.

"Well it looks like someone's been taking really good care of it," Happy stated.

"I suppose they would want to keep it clean and well maintained until a buyer can be found," Carla mused.

"Apparently that hasn't been easy, people have checked it out but no one's made an offer to buy it," Lucy said.

"Because nobody can afford it," Gray said.

"Such good memories! Your house always reminded me of a beautiful palace out of a storybook. I had so much fun here!" Michelle revealed in delight.

"Wait, you've been here before?" Lucy asked her sister.

Immediately, Michelle fell on her knees and started crying. "We used to play together here all the time!"

"Uh, that's right! Of course we did!" Lucy agreed in order to calm her sister down.

"Remember all the pretty clothes you made for me?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah sure, I remember," Lucy lied.

"You make clothes?" Wendy asked.

"I didn't think you were the handy type," said Carla.

"I bet you must've been adorable," Erza added.

"She used to make the cutest outfits out of colored paper and flowers," Michelle revealed.

"Wha…?" Lucy gasped in embarrassment.

"Oh wow!" Gray muttered while shaking his head. Natsu then came over to him.

"How would you be able to make clothes out of paper and flowers?" he questioned.

"Well, uh…" The Fire mage and the Ice mage starting imagining the blonde sisters wearing clothes like that, which turned out to be Lucy wearing a paper bikini and a paper hat while Michelle wore a bikini of flowers.

A tick mark appeared on Lucy's head. "Don't be creepy!" she shouted as she sent the two flying with a kick.

After the boys landed and everyone got inside, Erza gave Natsu and Gray a stern look and asked, "Do you think you can finally get serious? Is that too much to ask?!"

"No, ma'am!" Natsu, Gray, and Happy replied.

"Ok, where do you think we should get started?" Wendy inquired.

"What type of clues should we be looking for?" Carla asked.

"Our first order of business is to split into teams," Erza said. "Each team will take a different area and scour every room from top to bottom. We're looking for old clocks, or anything related to clocks at all. If anything reminds you of the inscription on the clock hand, take note of it. Any literature written in ancient potamelian, anything that seems out of the ordinary. Clues may present themselves in different forms, so keep an open mind." The teams were Erza and Gray, Natsu and Happy, Lucy and Michelle, and last was Carla, Gohan, and Wendy. After the teams went searching for some time, Lucy and Michelle found a book with the title "To My Daughter." Lucy then summoned Grandpa Crux, who instructed them to see if the title was a sort of anagram. All the teams, aside from Natsu and Happy, were trying to figure out what else the title could spell.

"How are we supposed to know what the heck to look for?!" Natsu moaned as he and Happy entered the library.

"Let's look for some food," Happy suggested.

The two then noticed everyone staring at many letters. "Are you guys just playing a game?" Natsu inquired.

"No, we're not," Wendy answered.

"Please be quiet," Erza told them.

"We're trying to concentrate," Gray added.

"Is it some kind of puzzle?" Happy asked.

"We're figuring out anagrams," Michelle explained.

"Yeah of course, I know what those are," Natsu said, although it wasn't true.

"It's basically like a word puzzle," Lucy explicated.

"Sounds more fun than what I was doing, can I try?" Natsu asked. Then, out of nowhere, he sneezed, causing the letters to fly around.

"You just ruined our train of thought!" Carla yelled.

"We were all working so hard on this!" Wendy cried.

"Whoops, my bad," Natsu chuckled nervously. Something then slashed at him, missing him by a hair; Erza stood over him with a sword pointed at him, making Natsu and Happy's eyes pop out.

"I was on the verge of a huge breakthrough!" she said while glaring at the Dragon Slayer.

"Wow, Erza looks pretty serious," Wendy commented.

"Yeah, no kidding. Remind me to never break her concentration," Gray said.

"Hey guys, look at this," Gohan called, getting everyone's attention. They gathered around and saw that some of the letters had managed to form the word myth.

"The letters before you spell the word 'myth,'" Grandpa Crux noted as he hovered above the group. "That could be important."

"I think he might be onto something," Gray agreed.

"What can we spell with the other letters?" Erza wondered. The group rearranged the remaining letters until they used all of them, and the message before them was now, 'Duo great myth'.

"Duo great myth, as in two great myths?" Gohan asked. "But what does that mean?"

"Oh, I know!" Lucy exclaimed. "Check it out, there's a pair of books known as the two great myths. Both were written by Will Neville. One of them is called Life of the Clockwork and it also happens to be where that strange inscription came from."

"You have that book in your apartment, right?" Michelle asked Lucy.

"Yup, talk about a coincidence," she replied. "And the second book should be right here." She then held up a children's storybook for her friends to see. "Ta-da! Key of the Starry Heavens!"

"Isn't that just a picture book?" Natsu questioned.

"It's not just a picture book," Lucy corrected him. "It's an amazing work of art!"

"Well whatever it is, I bet the word 'key' is important," Gray suggested.

"It seems like the perfect place to begin looking for a clue," Erza agreed.

"You guys think it could be another anagram?" Lucy asked before quickly dismissing the idea. "No, probably not, but maybe if we look at it differently…"

Carla gazed at the cover of Lucy's book; the picture suddenly changed when the color changed into gray, and the little girl on the front cover turned to face the Exceed. Her face showed dread and sadness as she spoke just one word: "DON'T!" Carla gasped, which gained the attention of her Dragon Slayer. "Carla?" Wendy came over to her. Once again the white feline said nothing about the vision she saw.

"I don't know if it'll have anything to do with the clock hand or not," Lucy said. "But maybe my dad left some kind of message for me in this book." She then saw Happy holding up another children's book. "Uh, is there something you would like to share with us, Happy?"

"This is one of my favorite stories," Happy said. "Some say the Tortoise and the Hare is an amazing work of art, too."

"Would you be so kind as to hand over the book?" a voice asked out of nowhere. Everyone looked around but didn't see the person speaking to them.

"I'm not giving this to some random stranger!" Happy shouted defiantly.

"I don't find your joke to be very amusing," the voice spoke again. The door hand started glowing green before growing, causing the door to fly open.

"What just happened?!" Natsu questioned.

"The door just blew up!" Gray stated.

"What a rudimentary understanding," the voice said as someone small entered the mansion. "What happened was the handle grew twice its size, which in turn broke down the door." When the person came inside, everyone could see the intruder was a small gray cat wearing glasses and Zentopia clothing while carrying a journal.

"Whoa, that's crazy!" Happy said.

"I don't believe it!" Carla stated.

"He's an Exceed!" Happy cried. "But he doesn't look like anyone I remember seeing in Extalia."

"He wasn't there," Carla explained. "He must've hatched from one of the eggs that were sent to Earthland all those years ago, just like us."

"Tell us who you are!" Natsu ordered the Exceed.

"The brains of the Legion Platoon, the name's Samuel," the cat introduced himself while fixing his glasses.

"So you clowns came snooping around after all!" Gray said as he took his stance.

"I consider this an amazing feat, really quite spectacularly played," Samuel noted as he brought his wings out and flew up. "I was certain you'd do exactly as I predicted by coming here and finding a clue, so of course you found one. I amaze myself sometimes." After finishing his snobby comment, he opened his book and started reading as though he wasn't afraid that the others would attack him.

"Can I turn him into a cat-sicle?" Gray asked.

"Only if I can barbeque him as soon as you're done!" Natsu replied.

"You ready?!" Wendy asked Erza.

"I am," she answered while changing into her Lightning Empress armor.

"Let's go! **Ice Make Lance!** " Gray shouted as he fired an ice attack.

"You'll get nothing from us!" Erza declared as she shot numerous bolts of lightning.

" **Sky Dragon Roar!"** Wendy cried as she fired her breath attack.

" **Fire Dragon Roar!"** Natsu yelled as he did the same.

All the attacks flew staright at Samuel but the flying cat still showed no sign of worry. Suddenly, a man with a smirk on his face came between Samuel and the four attacks while holding up a large shield; the attacks collided with the shield and stopped for a second before bouncing off the shield into different directions. "What the?!" Lucy cried as the attacks began to tear through the walls of her childhood home. "Don't wreck everything! I just decided that my number one goal would be to buy this house again someday!" Her friends looked at her strangely while she yelled at them.

" _They were redirected, just like my Kamehameha wave last night,"_ Gohan thought.

"What just happened?!" Gray questioned. "Some guy came out of nowhere and deflected our attacks!"

"Some guy? I'm the spear head of the Legion Platoon!" the man introduced himself. When the smoke cleared, they saw the second intruder was a dark-skinned man with brown hair, dressed as a knight, with a lance to match his shield. "My name is Dan Straight, so check me out!"

"Another personality disorder?!" Happy asked.

"You guys saw what I did with my shield, right?" Dan asked the fairies. "It's called Ricochet, get it? This baby takes any attack you throw at it and sends it right back at you!"

"That's a powerful shield," Erza stated.

"We gotta be careful with what we hit it with!" Wendy said.

"We don't wanna turn Lucy's childhood home into a burned up pile of rubble!" Gray added.

"Why do all you guys gotta be such pains in the butt?!" Natsu yelled.

"Come at me! It'll be the same as before!" Dan goaded them.

"NOT IF I MELT THAT THING FIRST!" Natsu screamed as he jumped at the Legion knight and unleashed a blaze of glory at it, but as Dan said, his attack didn't penetrate the shield. The fire then came back at Natsu and flew in every direction, nearly hitting everyone from Fairy Tail.

"CAN WE PLEASE TAKE THIS OUTSIDE?!" Lucy cried while clutching her book.

Samuel stood in the center of the flaming shower and pointed at Lucy. "That girl! She's the one with the book we need!" The knight turned his attention to the Celestial mage.

"This is getting serious! I'm gonna try and lead them outside!" Lucy said.

"But it could be even more dangerous out there!" Michelle warned her.

The Celestial mage faced the knight and held up the book. "Is this what you're after?! Then come get it, I double dare you!" she taunted Dan.

The Spear head just stared at her while blushing. He blinked twice as his vision of Lucy was surrounded by a pink background as she ran toward the exit; he then tossed his spear and it landed right in front of the blonde mage, intercepting her path. She screamed as the knight appeared right behind her. "Such beauty! Kapow!" Dan screamed as he placed his hand on his heart. Then he was kneeling on the ground, banging his fists in delight. "Such incredible beauty! It's as if love's arrow shot me straight through the heart but it just keeps beating stronger and stronger!" All the fairies turned white in disbelief from Dan's outburst. "It's almost too much for me to handle, but I can't get enough!" He then grasped Lucy's hand and shook it while asking, "And what do they call this loveliness?"

"Uh, Lucy," the blonde mage replied uncertainly.

"Lucy! I just can't take it! Lucy! Stunning perfection has a name!" Dan continued to express his joy. "Can I call you Lu-Lu? Looey? Lopey?"

"I don't know," Lucy said.

"I feared for this," Samuel muttered.

"That voice, those eyes, those lips, that hair, that chest, that waist, those legs!" Dan cheered as he inspected Lucy's figure. "A perfect Fibonacci sequence, in human form! Love on two legs! Beauty personified! L-O-V-E, spells love!"

"I just got super confused," Lucy confessed.

"True love!" Dan said as he formed a heart shape with his fingers; he then sensed someone trying to get the jump on him.

"Lucy!" Erza cried as she threw her spear at the knight, but he easily dodged the weapon and grabbed his own.

"Stay back! No one comes between me and my love!" Dan stated as he prepared for battle with Titania.

Erza requipped to her Flight armor. "You two make a break for it! They must not get their hands on that book!" she ordered Lucy and Michelle.

"Right," Lucy agreed.

"As for the rest of you, cover the girls while they escape!" she instructed Natsu, Gray, Wendy and Gohan, who were still dazed from Dan's performance.

"Uh, I just blanked out," Wendy admitted.

"We got overwhelmed by that craziness," Gray said.

"Kinda forgot that he was our enemy," Gohan added.

"Well, your ego seems to be extremely healthy," Samuel remarked.

"You shouldn't underestimate us!" Dan warned.

"Let me beat up this jerk!" Natsu offered to Erza, but she refused.

"Your job here is to keep Lucy safe, so get moving!" she told the others.

"Let's go!" Lucy called as she and her sister ran toward the exit.

"I wasn't finished talking to you!" Dan cried as he raced after the blondes. Natsu and Gray quickly advanced and attacked the knight, but his shield deflected their attacks once again, sending them through the walls of the mansion. The blondes screamed as the Exceeds carried them through the destruction. Happy looked worriedly back at Samuel, who glanced at him.

"Now then, taking into consideration the layout of a state such as this one." Samuel began to calculate before he addressed his comrade. "Dan, I trust that you'll neutralize Titania?"

"Yeah, I got it!" the knight assured the cat as he left.

"En garde!" Erza cried as she charged at Dan. Her sword clashed with his shield before its magic repelled her. "It can ward off physical attacks?!" Dan then jabbed at her with his spear, and she blocked the attack with her swords, when her blades suddenly glowed green and shrank greatly in size. Before Erza had time to process what happened, Dan jabbed at her again. She dodged and he struck the ground. Just like before, his target changed in size, only this time the ground grew to the size of a boulder that pinned the scarlet-haired mage to the bookshelf. Dan then tapped one of her swords, making it increase in size. "What kind of magic is this?!" Erza asked before she was almost impaled by her own giant weapon. She shrieked as the blade missed her and Dan appeared on top of the sword.

"Wow, that was kinda cute," Dan complimented her. "You are quite attractive in your own way, but it's a tea cup compared to the ocean of loveliness my Lu-Lu possesses."

"What's wrong with you?!" Erza questioned.

"Stay right there for now, until we meet again, Titania," Dan said as he used his magic spear on the books in the shelf right above the S-class mage. The books grew gigantic and came down on the armored mage.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she cried as the books rained down on her.

Elsewhere, the Exceeds, Gohan, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, Michelle, and Wendy were still fleeing the mansion when they heard a rumbling noise. "What was that?!" Gray wondered.

"I hope Erza's okay!" Wendy said.

"Me too," Natsu agreed.

"Come on, we need to hurry!" Michelle said to Lucy, who nodded.

"Guys, look!" Gohan alerted everyone. Standing in their path was the flying cat of the Legion Platoon.

"When did you get there?!" Lucy asked him.

"Just in time, I'd say," the gray cat replied. "Your moves are quite easy to calculate, I simply needed to factor how someone in your panicked state would move through this floor plan."

"Time for me to shut you up!" Natsu roared as he charged at the Exceed with his fists engulfed in flames; he swung rapidly at Samuel, but the cat effortlessly dodged all of his blows. Dan suddenly appeared and struck the Fire Dragon Slayer in the gut, and Natsu's body glowed green as he flew backward out the window. Gohan noticed the teen's body glowing and flew after him.

"That's it!" Gray cried.

"How dare you hurt our friend!" Wendy yelled. Both mages prepared to attack Dan when the ceiling collapsed onto them. They separated as Erza and the pile of enormous books crashed onto the floor, which freaked Lucy out.

Samuel nodded and said, "Precisely as arranged."

Outside, Natsu lay on the ground in pain when the half Saiyan came by his side. "Natsu, are you alright?!" he inquired as he helped the fire mage up.

"Yeah, I think so," Natsu replied. He then noticed that Gohan wasn't tiny anymore. "Hey, how'd you get back to normal size?"

"Um, actually…"Gohan was about to explain before they heard Happy coming.

"Where are you, Natsu?! Are you okay?!" the tomcat called frantically.

"I'm right here!" Natsu answered. His eyes then popped out when he saw a giant blue cat headed toward him and Gohan. The son of Goku quickly moved away but the son of Igneel wasn't fast enough and was immediately crushed by Happy's foot. The blue Exceed stopped running when he stepped on something small and heard tiny screaming; he looked at his foot and saw the mini Dragon Slayer crushed under it before jumping back in shock.

"Happy! Did you see where Natsu went?!"Lucy asked the Exceed when she and Michelle appeared outside.

"Yeah, I kinda just accidently stepped on him," Happy stated as he held up the pinkette.

"He's so tiny!" Lucy screamed.

"Just like Gohan," Michelle noted.

"By now, even you should've realized that escape is impossible," Samuel said as he appeared outside.

"What the heck have you done to Natsu?!" Lucy demanded.

"Those gorgeous lips are asking the wrong person," Dan answered. "My weapon is called Habaraki, a spear that can change your size! Your friend got a taste of its power last night!"

"So, you two are the ones who ambushed me!" Gohan realized.

"That's right, kid!" Dan confirmed.

"Now, kindly hand over the book so we can be done with this unpleasantness," Samuel said.

"Screw you, pal!" Natsu yelled in response.

"If you want the book, you'll have to beat me first!" the mini Saiyan declared as he powered up, although due to his size it looked like a tiny flare. He charged at the Legion knight with his fist ready, but Dan only laughed at the boy's bravery.

"Go ahead and take your best shot, pipsqueak, I won't even need my shield for this!" Dan laughed. The knight smirked as the mini Saiyan got closer. Gohan struck Dan in the cheek and, to everyone's surprise, the knight was sent flying into the wall of the mansion.

"I may be small, but I'm still as strong as ever!" Gohan proclaimed.

"How dare you humiliate me in front of Lu-Lu!" Dan cried as got back up. "Let's see how strong you are when you're squashed flat!" The knight tried to stomp on the tiny halfbreed, but just like the night before, Gohan was able outmaneuver his every attempt.

"I expected this might happen considering what that boy was capable of doing last night," Samuel mumbled. "Dan! Just simply use your spear to shrink the boy again!"

"You're gonna have to catch me first!" Gohan shouted as he disappeared and reappeared behind the knight. He kicked the back of his knees, causing Dan to fall on his rear. Gohan then grabbed Dan's wrist and lifted him up before slamming him into the mansion wall again. ( **A/N: Similar to what teen Goku did to Piccolo Jr.** )

"Take that, you jerk!" Natsu yelled.

"Alright, Gohan!" Lucy cheered.

The Saiyan then grabbed Dan's spear and tossed it at the Fire Dragon Slayer; it struck Natsu in the chest and he returned to his original size. "Hey, what did you do that for?! Oh, I'm big again, thanks!" Salamander said.

"You can thank me by returning the favor," Gohan told him as he handed the spear to Natsu. The fire mage took it and poked the Saiyan with it, restoring his size. "Thanks."

"Now to get some answers!" Natsu declared as he pointed the spear at the unfazed Exceed from the Legion Platoon. "Tell what the Legion is planning, cat!"

"How about you hand over the book instead," Samuel responded.

"You mean this one?" Lucy asked as she held up a book. "Why don't you go and get it!" She tossed the book into the sky and the blue Exceed quickly grabbed it and flew off.

"How simple-minded," Samuel scoffed as he lifted up Michelle's dress; she screamed in embarrassment as the Exceed pulled out the Key of the Starry Heavens book, revealing that the one Lucy threw was actually the Tortoise and the Hare. "This is the book we want."

"The trick didn't work!" Happy exclaimed.

"How'd he know?!" Lucy questioned.

"Give it back, furball!" Natsu ordered as he tried to attack the brains of the Legion with his fire fists. He was smacked aside by Dan's shield as the knight had recovered from his defeat and retrieved his shield.

"I've considered every possible outcome," Samuel stated as he was reading the book quickly using magic specs. "And I have made plans for each one of them, which means I will forever be a countless number of steps ahead of you."

"Doesn't matter, 'cause I'm not letting you leave with that book!" Gohan shouted as he prepared to fire a Ki blast at the cat. Samuel then closed the book and tossed it to the Saiyan, which confused him.

"You can have it back now, I've already memorized every single page," he said. Just then, Erza in her Black Wing armor, Gray, and Wendy came outside and fired their attacks at the knight, but Dan easily blocked their attacks with his shield and redirected them. As the attacks were launched back, Samuel and Dan flew away.

"Bye Lu-Lu, next time we get together, let's have it be just you and me!" Dan called to Lucy.

"Tell me something, have you been putting on some weight, again?" Samuel asked his comrade.

"As least they left the book," Wendy said.

"After making complete fools out of us," Carla stated.

"I can't stand guys like that!" Gray said.

"They won't get away with this!" Erza declared.

"We can still go after them, so let's get 'em!" Natsu cried as Happy picked him up, but before they could go after the Legion, Gohan quickly got in their way. "What are you doing, man?!"

"Let it go, Natsu, we still have the book," Gohan reasoned. "Right now, we need to get back to the guild and figure out our next move."

Although he was still angry, the Salamander calmed down and grumbled, "Fine."

Lucy glanced back at her childhood home with only one thought in mind. _"Dad…what exactly are you trying to tell me?"_

 **A/N: Finally done with this chapter! Now I know it might not be my best work but I'm trying my best here; this is the only way it works for me and I do things my way. I promise the story will get better as I continue to write it. I'm still working on other stories and since I just finished my exams, I've got a lot to make up for and a lot of rethinking and brainstorming to do. Please be patient with me. Oh, one more thing, the reason for Gohan getting shrunken by Dan is so that we wouldn't directly fight Samuel and Dan right away when they cam to Lucy's mansion, cause if he did, he would've easily demolished them, and I really like Natsu which is why I didn't keep him small. As for Gohan still capable of taking on Dan while tiny, it's no different to when Goku fought the giant version of Piccolo Jr. or Golden Great Ape Baby Vegeta. Since he was equal/stronger than them he could easily battle them even with their size advantage unlike when he fought the giant version of Lord Slug or Great Ape Vegeta where he was weaker than them so he couldn't fight them well; Although Gohan was the one who's size change the principal is still the same since Ki isn't the same as magic. So Gohan was still stronger than Dan despite his tiny size and was still able to fight him easily. That's all for now, later! Send your reviews! Until next time TTFN AntiHero out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! Are you ready for some more Dragon Tail Z? Just make sure that when you're reading, you turn the lights on in your room, and don't have your device too close to ya! I know in the last chapter that I didn't clarify whether or not Dan got his spear back after Gohan took it; I answered a few reviews saying that Dan did get it back, but I decided to change that and have Gohan hold onto it for the time being. So basically Dan and Samuel left without it. Now it's time to get back to the story!**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 11 –**

After their encounter with Dan Straight and Samuel of the Legion Platoon, the members of Fairy Tail returned to their guild hall with the Key to the Starry Heavens book to figure out what to do next. While everyone was talking about what happened, Lucy was reading the book to get some answers. "I can't believe those jerks attacked us at Lucy's home," Natsu grumbled while crossing his arms.

"Those guys just get more annoying as the days go by," Gray added.

"Let's not worry about them right now," Erza said. "Right now, we should focus on what their goal is."

"I wonder why they left the book behind," Gohan mused. "And how did that cat read it so fast?"

"I'm not sure why they left it, but he was probably wearing specs," Wendy replied. "They allow you to read books incredibly fast."

"Man, those would've been handy during the years my mom made me study," Gohan remarked. "Could've spent more time training and less time reading."

"Samuel said he memorized everything from the book," Carla stated. "Could he have found the clue we were originally looking for?"

"If that's true, then he probably didn't need the book anymore," Happy figured.

"Guess it didn't matter to them that they left the book behind," the Saiyan said. "Probably don't think we'll figure out the clue in time to stop them."

"Well, I say we prove them wrong!" the Salamander exclaimed.

"Hey guys, I figured some things out," Lucy announced, getting her friends' attention.

"Yeah, like what?" Natsu inquired.

"This book for instance, my dad followed its story to the letter," Lucy explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Erza questioned.

"I'm saying there's more fact than fiction in its pages," the Celestial mage responded. "The Key of the Starry Heavens is about a little girl who goes in search of six keys because they're said to bring happiness whenever they're collected. But the thing is, by finding her happiness, the young girl unknowingly brings sorrow and misfortune to everyone around her."

"That's no good, what a crappy ending," Happy commented.

Gohan raised an eyebrow as he thought about what Lucy said. _"Why does this story remind me of something?"_

"How does the story begin?" Erza asked.

"Well, according to what it says here, the first key takes a journey," Lucy answered.

"Yeah right, keys don't take journeys!" Natsu said.

"Dude, it's a metaphor, get with the program," Gray replied.

"Alright, so where the heck did it go?!" Natsu asked.

"Give me a break! Do I have to spell it out for you?!" the ice mage questioned in annoyance. "Think about it, where did the Legion Platoon strike first?"

"Wait, so that means…" Natsu realized as he understood the phrase.

"Exactly, Michelle carried the clock hand all the way to Fairy Tail; in other words, it took a journey," Lucy said. "And everything that's happened is a direct result of it." Her comrades' faces grew more serious as she continued to explain. "In the story, the little girl decides to go in search of the five remaining keys. One by one, she finds them in a variety of places; finally, she travels to a cathedral, and that's where she finds the sixth key."

"A cathedral?" Erza repeated. "You don't think…?"

"No, it's not the Kardia Cathedral here in town," Lucy said. "In fact, it's nowhere near Magnolia."

"How do you know that?" Titania inquired.

"This was my favorite story as a little girl," Lucy explicated. "I used to read it over and over again. One day I realized, the places the girl traveled to in the Key of the Starry Heavens were real. Makes me wonder, if my dad came to the same realization, then I'll bet he hid the other five clock pieces in those spots." She then faced her sister and asked, "Did he ever mention any of this, Michelle?"

"No, sorry," she answered before looking away in sadness. "Mr. Jude was very quiet before he passed away."

"In any case, I have a feeling that if we go to the locations mentioned in this book, we should have no trouble finding the rest of the pieces," Lucy assured. "So who's with me?" No one answered her due to their uncertainty about the situation. "I'm not sure what the Legion Platoon wants with those clock pieces, but I know we have to stop them! Come on guys, if this chaos thing is real, we can't just sit back and let them do whatever they please!" she urged her friends, but still, no one volunteered to help her out. "Well I'm going, with or without you guys!" she declared.

"Just by yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, the master may not approve, but this really bothers me!" Lucy told him. "I have to do something!"

"I'll go with you," Michelle said.

"There's no way we're letting you do this on your own!" Natsu stated. "Happy and I have got your back!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted his agreement.

"So what's our next move?" Gray asked. "We're in a race here and the Legion Platoon is ahead of us. By the sound of it, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

From the looks on everyone's face, they knew that this wasn't going to be an easy task. "This mission relies on too much guesswork for my taste," Master Makarov muttered from where he was sitting. "Because we don't know what gathering the clock pieces will do. That being said, we do what we can to keep this chaos at bay."

"Um excuse me," Gohan spoke up, getting his guildmates' attention. "I want to help, but there's something about this situation that bothers me. Can I read that book, Lucy?"

"Uh sure, but why?" the blonde mage inquired as she handed him the book.

"This book reminds me of something, so I wanna make sure," Gohan replied as he took the book and opened it up immediately. After a few minutes, the Demi Saiyan closed the book and put on a serious face. "I understand now."

"Understand what?" Natsu questioned.

"This book contains a message for those who know that the clock pieces exist," Gohan answered.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, it says to not collect the clock pieces or else you'll bring about this inevitable chaos onto others as a price for your own happiness," Gohan revealed.

"That's quite a discovery you made, Gohan," Erza said.

"Yeah," Gray agreed.

Carla's eyes suddenly went wide as she saw the vision of the little girl from the Key of the Starry Heavens book. "Yes, don't do it," she said, making the white Exceed shiver in fear.

"Are you ok, Carla?" Wendy asked her cat.

"I'm fine, Wendy," the Exceed lied.

"I'm curious, boy, how did you come to such a conclusion?" Makarov inquired.

Gohan didn't answer for a moment as he grasped the book tightly; he then sighed before saying, "Listen, what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room! Truth be told, my friends and family should be the only ones who know about this; anyone else who does is usually my enemy and ends up dead, but even though I haven't been here that long, I feel like I can trust you guys."

The fairies gave the son of Goku reassuring looks. "You can trust us, Gohan," Erza promised him.

"Yeah, if you know something that can help us, than you should tell us, dude," Gray added.

"Remember that in Fairy Tail, we're a family, so we trust each other," Makarov said.

Gohan nodded as he prepared to reveal his secret. "The reason I know that we're not supposed to gather the clock pieces is because this story reminds me of an adventure my father and I have both taken in the past, where we tried to find the Dragon Balls."

"Dragon Balls?" Natsu repeated. "What are those?"

"They're seven mystic orbs created by the guardian or the god of Earth that have great power," Gohan answered.

"I'm guessing that you collect these Dragon Balls just like the girl collected the clock pieces," Levy said, to which Gohan nodded.

"So what happens when you collect them?" Lucy asked.

"The Dragon Balls are supposed to take decades, centuries, or even a lifetime to find," Gohan explained. "Only few have been lucky enough to come across even one, but if you do manage to gather all seven… you can use the orbs to summon the Dragon God Shenron, and he'll use his power to grant you any wish." Hearing this secret got everyone in the guild's eyes to grow wide.

"Whoa, that's quite a secret you've told us, boy," Makarov said, as not even he could hide his surprise.

"So you're telling us that a god created these magical balls, and putting them together summons a Dragon that can grant any wish?!" Gray reiterated.

Gohan nodded again. "As long as it's within Shenron's power, yes."

Everyone became speechless once again. "Um, Gohan, could this Shenron help us find our dragons?" Wendy asked him nervously.

"Yeah, maybe this dragon can help us!" Natsu agreed.

"I'd wish for lots of yummy fishies!" Happy spoke next.

"I'd wish for an endless supply of alcohol!" Cana said.

Pretty soon, every one of the guild members were asking the young Saiyan if this Dragon God could grant their wishes, which was starting to get overwhelming since they weren't getting his point, until eventually the 3rd Master of Fairy Tail spoke up. "Alright, that's enough questions, I'm sure Gohan didn't tell us this to take our requests." All of the mages then backed away from the Z Fighter.

"The master is right. Besides, I believe this Dragon is incapable of a few things," Erza said.

"Yeah, probably can't bring the dead back to life, right Gohan?" Lucy asked. When he didn't answer, everyone's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "He can bring the dead back to life?!"

"You're kidding us, right?!" Gray shouted. "That's just not possible!"

"It's true, my friends and I have used the Dragon Balls to resurrect our loved ones and the innocent people who were killed by our enemies," Gohan said. "We usually do it within a year's time, but I don't know if Shenron can revive those who have died over a year ago." Everyone was still looking at the Saiyan in disbelief. "Look, the reason I'm telling you this is because the Dragon Balls can attract unwanted attention, just like these clock pieces have. They can raise the dead, grant eternal youth… I once fought a demon who used them to gain immortality and that's the only reason he's still alive. After they've been used, the orbs separate and spread across the world, which is why they're so hard to find, and for a whole year, they turn to stone and remain unusable." The son of Goku then held up the book as he continued to explain. "The Four Star ball is my family's heirloom just like the clock piece Lucy got from her father is her heirloom, and so we try to protect it and any other we find."

"So, you and your friends have taken it upon yourselves to make sure these orbs don't fall into the wrong hands?" Erza asked, to which Gohan nodded. "And I'm guessing that's happened before."

"In my dad's childhood, many of his enemies tried to collect all of the Dragon Balls, and they stopped at nothing to find just one. They destroyed homes, slaughtered innocent people, even turned on their own comrades just for that one wish," Gohan said. "Someone even killed Shenron to prevent futures wishes from ending his plans. When the dragon was revived, the guardian told my father that he would prefer to leave the Dragons Balls unusable due to the great evil they bring, but he allowed their existence because my father only wanted to use them to revive those who were killed and hoped they would be used for more good in the future, but they remain scattered because of the dangers in finding and using them, like the clock pieces."

"And, you think that's why the book sends the message of not collecting the clock pieces?" Levy inquired.

"More than that, I believe that's why Lucy's father sent her that first piece and left her those clues," the half Saiyan said. "I think he was asking for help from his daughter and her guild."

"After what that jerk did to us seven years ago, he's got a lot of nerve to ask for our help," Natsu grumbled, earning him a bonk on the head from Erza.

"That jerk happens to be the father of one of our guildmates, show some consideration!" the redhead growled.

"Is Gohan right? Could this be what Mr. Jude was trying to tell you?" Michelle asked. "It seems like a kinda complicated way to ask for help."

"No, it makes sense," Lucy said as she rubbed her eyes and gave a little smile. "If my dad did follow this book and discovered how dangerous these clock pieces are, then it's clear why he would hide them and leave us the task of protecting them."

"So your dad practically sent us a job request, huh?" Gray said.

"Feels like this should be an S-class request," Titania remarked.

"Your old man made the right choice asking Fairy Tail for help," Makarov approved. "And we'll make sure to complete his request."

"Yeah, we're gonna stop those Legion jerks and get back at them for messing with us!" Natsu declared.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.

"Then let's get going!" Gohan said.

"I'll take care of assigning teams," Erza offered. Titania had put the members into different teams; she, Cana, Carla, and Wendy were one team. Gray was paired up with Juvia, who was enjoying their alone time until they were joined by Gray's fellow disciple, Lyon. Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily were together and went to recruit their final member, Black Steel Gajeel; the Strauss siblings went together and the final team consisted of Gohan, Happy, Lucy, Michelle, Natsu, and Romeo. All the teams dispersed to different locations to prevent the clock pieces from being gathered.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a secret base built by Tyson Hammer of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit, the aforementioned man was having his injuries attended to by a young woman. She was a tall, slim but toned young woman with medium-length choppy light blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a feminine Rune Knight uniform that resembled a practical version of a regal noblewoman-esque dress with a white cape, and its skirt was knee-length and had modesty pants underneath, along with protective chainmail and a breastplate added within which had the white and blue colors of the Council and an ankh symbol on the chest. In addition, she also wore high-heeled armored boots and white ladylike gloves. At her back was a long metal staff which was coiled at the tip, and bore the Rune Knights' symbol on it. Within the center was a sphere, seemingly a globe made of crystal, topped by a small cross. Her name was Jillian Solaris, Corporal of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit and one of Tyson's three disciples.

Jillian placed her hands over Tyson and started emitting Ki into them; her hands started glowing as her energy floated toward her Chief. "Honestly, Chief, you should be more careful!" she chastised Tyson as his injuries began healing. "You should fight with your mind and not just with your body; you can't be so reckless!"

The Chief flexed his shoulder once she finished before putting his clothes on. "Ah, come on, Jill, takes more than some bucket of bolts to rough me up!" he assured his student. "'Tis but a scratch, darling."

Jillian just sighed before turning to the ex-Celestial Mage that Tyson rescued; she was sitting quietly on a chair, looking depressed. "She's not doing too well," she pointed out.

"She hasn't said much since the attack," Tyson said.

"Let me talk to her," Jillian offered. She walked over to Emily and knelt beside her. "Listen, I know what happened to you was hard, but we can't help you if you don't talk to us."

Emily glanced at the Combat healer. "You don't understand. That… thing took everything from me! My home, my magic, my sole purpose is gone!" she exclaimed.

"I can relate," Jillian said simply.

"How?! You're the Combat healer Jillian of the Custody Enforcement Unit! You've got numerous Knights under your command! You're a role model for many women! How can you understand what I'm going through?!" Emily questioned.

Jillian sighed before answering, "I once had a purpose. I wanted to be a strong woman, just like the person I idolized. But then she did something that made me question my goals, and for some time, I was lost. I felt like everything I learned was for nothing." The ex-Mage gazed at the Corporal. "But then the Chief helped me find a new goal; he saved me and I've learned to do things I didn't think were possible." Jillian then stood up and offered her hand to Emily. "We can help you, too. I can show that even though you're no longer a Mage, you can still do more in life."

"How?" Emily inquired.

"First, we need you to tell us who that guy was and why he attacked you," Jillian said.

"I don't know who or what that thing was, but when he stabbed me, he severed my body link," Emily replied.

"What was the link for?" Jillian asked.

"It ties my magic energy to the Infinity Clock so that no one else can use it unless the link is broken," Emily answered. "That thing severed my link; I should've fallen to the curse as a result, but I didn't."

"What's the Infinity Clock?" Jillian continued to question.

"An ancient artifact that could bring about great chaos," the ex-Mage said grimly. "A great man named Will Neville tried to ensure that it wouldn't be used, so he entrusted the task of protecting it to his disciples. Many of my fellow Celestial Mages and I are descendants of his students who inherited the biological links to the clock and were sheltered by many churches."

"Is that why many church buildings have been destroyed?" Tyson asked as he came over. "They're searching for Celestial Mages connected to this Will Neville?"

Emily nodded. "Whoever's behind the attacks is trying to activate the Anti-Link, and when that happens, the Celestial Mage that loses the biological link falls victim to a terrible curse, where they must sleep for 100 years."

"Except that didn't happen to you," Jillian noted. "Your link was severed, but the curse didn't affect you. Why?"

Emily looked away. "Who knows; perhaps fate thought it would be better if I had to live with failure and stayed awake to watch the inevitable chaos that is to come," she said in depression. "I'm not fit to be a Neville Celestial Wizard. I've failed my mission."

The Combat healer placed her hand on the ex-mage's shoulder to comfort her. "You haven't failed, you did everything you could to protect the clock pieces. Now you've given that task to us and we won't let your sacrifice be in vain. Trust me, we'll get those who are responsible."

Emily gave a small smile. "Thank you both, for saving me and helping me."

The Ki users nodded before Tyson left. The Chief then brought out a communication Lacrima. "Tyson Hammer, Head Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit reporting." The screen flashed before it revealed the face of Lahar. "Howdy partner, how are things going for ya?"

"Not so good, Tyson. More churches are being destroyed and more mages are falling victim to some strange magic after being attacked," Lahar reported. "Hope you've had more of a success."

"Sure have, even learned something new," Tyson said. After explaining that the person he fought at the Church building was a machine that didn't use magic and relaying everything that Emily told them, Lahar said that he would continue to investigate after recruiting an old friend. Tyson then shut off the Lacrima, just as two more men wearing clothing similar to Tyson entered the base.

One of them was an average-built muscular man with a tall stature that rivaled Tyson, and wore a full body Rune Knight armor that had the blue and white colors of the Council and the gold ankh symbol on his breastplate with a helmet shaped like an owl with visor's holes that looked like owl's eyes. His armor was also enchanted with strong metals and anti-Magic runes inscribed in them that allowed him to withstand strong spells and attacks from his enemies, giving him the qualities of a living tank. He carried two anti-Magic chakram blades attached to long handles that can be used to cut through steel, stone, and even magic. His name was Hugo Steelsoul, Lieutenant of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit serving under Chief Tyson.

The second one was a well-built young man with a short mustache who wore a customized Rune Knight officer's uniform resembling a medieval archer's clothing with a small cloak draped around his shoulders. On his back were a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He also had a set of four to eight daggers, with their sheaths being secured to the same belt which held up his quiver. His name was Philip Weinheidt, Specialist of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit.

"Ah, my favorite Indians have returned," Tyson noted. "So, you boys dig up anything?"

Hugo removed his helmet, revealing a clean-cut face with red eyes, sharp cheekbones that made him look like a hardened veteran of war, and military-style short black hair. His face held a serious no-nonsense look that said, "No funny business." "Sorry Chief, haven't gotten far in the investigation. No one seems to match the description of the two attackers you and Lahar described," Hugo answered. "However, we did hear something about that troublemaking guild, Fairy Tail."

"Those little fairies?" Tyson asked. "So, they've finally made their comeback after a long time."

"I thought most of their members disappeared seven years ago after taking on Grimoire Heart; isn't that why they became the weakest guild?" Jillian questioned. "Just shows what being reckless gets ya."

"Cut 'em some slack," Weinheidt retorted. "At least they know how to have a good time."

"Anyway, those missing Fairies have returned and now their guild is in a conflict with Zentopia's Legion Platoon," Hugo reported. "Do you think we should look into this, sir?"

"Nah," Tyson decided. "Let them Fairies go at it with Zentopia, it ain't the council's problem."

"There's one more thing you should know, Chief," Weinheidt added. "Fairy Tail's got a new member, and apparently he's super strong."

"That right?" Tyson inquired.

"Rumor has it that he's as strong as an S-Class wizard, but get this, he's just a kid," Weinheidt continued. "His name's Gohan and he's defeated Fairy Tail's Salamander and Makarov's grandson."

Hearing the boy's name, Tyson's eyes grew wide. He faced his disciples and asked, "What does he look like?"

"About eleven or twelve according to Sorcerer Weekly," Hugo responded. "Black spiky hair and black eyes, and he wears a purple martial arts gi with a white cape. The kind of magic he uses is unknown." Tyson's eyes grew wider from the description of the Son of Goku; he then got up and put on his clothes. His students looked at each other in bewilderment before staring at him in wonder. "Sir, do you know this child?" Hugo asked.

"Yeah, he's like us, boy," Tyson replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Jillian inquired.

Instead of answering, the Chief turned to his Specialist and said, "Weinheidt, Lahar has asked for your help. Needs you to help him track down his old partner."

"Sure thing, Chief," the Archer responded.

"The rest of you are coming with me," Tyson told his other students.

"What for?" Jillian asked.

"We're going to the council. I reckon we ask those stiffnecks to let us work with these Fairy folks," the Chief answered.

"What about the civilian, sir?" Hugo questioned.

"Bring her along, she'll be safer there," Tyson said. He then stepped outside along with his students and the ex-mage. As they were going, Tyson Hammer had only one thing in mind. _"The City boy's kid is here, huh? Wonder how he'll take to seeing me again."_ "By the way, have ya'll seen my trucker hat around?" Tyson asked out of the blue,making his disciples sweat drop and groan. _  
_

* * *

 **(A/N: Not doing every scene about the search for the clock pieces or every episode because that's a lot of writing I don't wish to do. Just a few things that are important.)**

After getting on a boat, meeting a group of archeologists, and convincing them to allow them to journey to the archeological sites so that they can stop the gathering of the clock pieces and fulfill the dying wish of Jude Heartfilia, the five fairies and Michelle made it to a desert area. "This can't be the right place, you guys. I mean, look at it, there's nothing here," Natsu pointed out. Everyone stared out into the distance and, not seeing any sign of the clock piece, they stopped to rest. Gohan and Romeo were still searching when they spotted a shiny object.

"Did you see that?" the Saiyan asked the mage.

"Yeah. I think I saw something shiny!" the younger mage called to his friends. Everyone else was sitting on a picnic blanket, chowing down on some food.

"This is some tasty grub!" Natsu spoke.

"Michelle made all of this by herself!" Lucy stated.

"And there's plenty more where those came from, so eat up!" Michelle said.

"Aren't you guys gonna have some?" Happy asked the boys.

"Uh, did you guys hear us?" Romeo inquired.

After they finished eating, Natsu and the others went over to what the boys had spotted, which turned out to be a strange object. It looked like a large floating clock face made of brass that had a keyhole in it. There were several gaps in it as though it was missing many of its pieces. "What do you think this weird looking thing is?" Happy wondered.

"If I had to guess…" Romeo said.

"It looks like a strange door," Michelle noted.

"Yeah, but how do we get it open?" Lucy asked.

Natsu hummed before saying, "Give me some room!" He ignited his fist and charged at the door.

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy cried, but the Salamander slammed his fist against the entrance; it made a ringing noise before the flames disappeared and the Fire Dragon was blown away by the force of his attack. "Do you really think that wrecking the door was gonna help us?! It probably uses Nullification Magic!"

"Do you suppose there's some kind of trick to it?" Michelle inquired.

"There's a keyhole on it, maybe we need to unlock it," Gohan suggested.

"But we don't have a key to open it," Romeo stated.

"I've got someone who's totally cut out for this," Lucy declared as she brought one of her gold keys. In a flash of light, the giant crab was summoned.

"Hey, baby," Cancer greeted.

"Do you think you can unlock this door for us, Cancer?" Lucy asked him.

"These scissors are meant for cutting hair, not picking locks!" the crab answered indignantly.

"Oh, I feel terrible! I'm sorry, this is all my fault! Please forgive me!" Michelle wailed.

"Don't cry, Michelle," Gohan told her.

"I can't ignore the tears of a lady; I'll do it!" Cancer decided as he placed his scissors in the key hole.

"That was easy," Lucy stated.

"Girls make men weak," Happy remarked.

In a few seconds, the door began to light up. "Wow! Way to go!" Lucy cheered.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Michelle asked.

"Piece of cake, baby!" Cancer said before he vanished.

The door then started to turn and light up. "Um, I've got a bad feeling about this." The light faded and the ground shook before collapsing, and the six were sent plummeting downward into a whirlpool of sand. Acting quick, the Demi Saiyan grabbed everyone and safely descended to the bottom of a dark cave. "Phew, I thought we were goners, thanks Gohan."

"You're welcome," Gohan said.

They then went over to another door that actually looked like a door. Natsu banged his fist on it but it didn't open. "This one's the same as the other one, it's been sealed shut with magic," Natsu stated.

"There's no keyhole anywhere," Happy noted.

"Don't worry, this kind of puzzle-solving is right up my alley," Lucy assured them. "All we have to do is say the correct phrase and it'll open." The Celestial mage thought for a moment before shouting, "Open sesame!" The door remained shut. "I really thought that would work, but no such luck. Guess we're just gonna have to yell out every phrase we can think of until we get the right one." The three adults and the Exceed started shouting out random words in order to get the door to open and the two boys sweatdropped as they watched.

"Are things usually like this with these guys?" Gohan questioned the fire mage.

"Don't ask me, this is my first adventure with these guys," Romeo replied.

"Aren't you guys gonna help us out?" Natsu asked the boys.

"Hey Mr. Door, would you please open up for me and my friends?" Romeo asked politely. The room started rumbling and the door rolled open, revealing a tunnel.

"It worked!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Guess we just had to ask it nicely," Happy said. The team entered the tunnel into a large chamber. There were stone cylinders inside the walls and the ceilings while there were four more doors bearing the Zentopia emblem. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a stone model of the same emblem. "That's Zentopia's emblem. I wonder what its doing here."

"It makes sense. You see, these ruins are known as the Holy Tomb. It's one of Zentopia's scared sites. It's been mentioned in a ton of their historical documents and other church literature, but its existence has never been proven, until now!" Lucy stated.

"Does that mean..?" Michelle began.

"We're the first people to step foot in these ruins!" Natsu finished.

"Oh, so that's why those old guys made such a big fuss," Romeo realized as he remembered their meeting with the archeologists.

"They probably just wanted to keep these ruins safe," Gohan said. "I could see why they didn't want us to come here."

"I don't blame 'em, 'cause there's a good chance we'll wreck the place, especially with Natsu," Happy teased.

"Get off my case, furball!" Natsu growled. The chamber began to shake again and the door the group came through was closed shut.

"The door closed!" Happy exclaimed.

"What are we gonna do now? We're locked in!" Romeo shouted.

"Don't worry, I totally got this!" Lucy assured her friends as she walked over to the pedestal. "I read a lot of adventure stories. When the heroes get stuck, they do something like this…" The Celestial mage turned the Zentopia emblem counterclockwise 180 degrees.

"What the heck is that gonna do?!" Natsu questioned.

One of the doors in the room suddenly opened up. "Open secret doors," Lucy replied triumphantly. When the door was fully opened, it revealed a large stone face with spikes. The other three doors opened, each having a similar face inside them.

"What are those things?!" Happy asked.

"They're so creepy!" Romeo noted.

"Yeah, no kidding," Lucy agreed.

"I think they're beautiful," Michelle commented.

"Are you crazy?!" Happy questioned.

The faces suddenly started moving toward them along with the stone cylinders in the walls. "It's a trap!" Gohan exclaimed.

"You led us right into a death trap, Lucy!" Natsu shouted.

"Those creepy faces are gonna crush us!" Happy cried.

"EAT THIS!" Natsu roared as he used his breath attack on one of the faces.

"Stop, Natsu!" Lucy yelled.

The fire had no effect on the face, but the floor began to heat up from the intensity of the flames. "Ow, ow, ow! Hot, hot, hot!" Happy cried as he kept hopping.

"I told you that wouldn't work!" Lucy shouted.

"Well, it seemed like a good idea to me!" the Dragon Slayer argued.

"Gohan, use your Ki blasts to destroy these things!" Romeo suggested hastily.

"I can't! This place is so ancient, even my weakest attack could bring the whole place down on us!" the half Saiyan cried.

"Oh I know, I'll just turn this back…" Lucy grabbed at the pedestal seconds before it disappeared. "Where'd it go?!" The stone faces and cylinders eventually collided with each other in the middle of the chamber; they stayed there for a few seconds before finally moving back into the doors. The team fell out from the noses of the faces, where they managed to get in at the last second.

"Phew, we made it," Gohan sighed.

"Oh man, that was a close one," Romeo agreed.

"How are we ever gonna get out of this horrible place?" Michelle wondered.

"We just have to turn this the opposite way, I hope," Lucy said as she turned the stone sculpture 360 degrees clockwise.

"You sure it's gonna be that easy?" Natsu questioned as he sweatdropped. The room started to rumble again and the same faces and stone cylinders were coming toward them again, except now the stone cylinders from the ceiling were coming down on them. "Uh oh!"

"Now they're coming from above!" Romeo shouted.

"Oh, crap!" Lucy cried.

"We got no choice but to get inside the noses again!" Natsu said.

"Look! We can't because the noses are closed up this time!" Happy yelled as he observed the nostrils on the faces were indeed closed shut.

"We need to think of something quick, you guys!" Natsu urged; he turned around and saw the blonde-haired mage inside her clock Spirit. "What the heck are you doing?!" he questioned her.

"Escaping reality," Happy responded.

"Is it time for punishment yet?" Virgo said as she suddenly appeared on one of the stone faces in her underwear, posing in a seductive way.

"Who's that?" Gohan asked.

"It's Virgo!" Happy answered.

"Why is she in a bikini?" Romeo inquired as he sweatdropped.

"When did you learn to summon two Spirits at the same time?" Natsu asked Lucy.

"'I DIDN'T SUMMON HER!' the lady says in a panicked voice," Horologium spoke for the Celestial mage.

"No, I came here in on my own employment since the Princess is almost out of magic power," the maid explained as she switched to another position.

"Okay, but why are you wearing a bikini?!" Gohan and Romeo asked in unison.

"What's the matter, don't you boys like girls in bikinis?" the Spirit inquired while changing into another sexy position, making the young boys' faces turn red.

"Jeez, just make a hole in the floor already!' she exclaims impatiently," the clock continued to speak for Lucy.

"Very well, as you wish," Virgo complied as she crossed her arms and her eyes glowed red. The group started screaming as they fell through Virgo's hole unexpectedly.

"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME?!' she asks anxiously," Horologium repeated for Lucy as they fell. The Son of Goku quickly grabbed everyone and slowly descended to the ground. They all groaned and sighed in relief as he put each of them down on the rocky ground, allowing them to view their new surroundings. The new chamber they were in was huge, dark, hollow, and full of human-shaped caskets made of stone. "Hold up, where's Virgo?" Lucy asked, now outside of Horologium.

"She's right behind you," Michelle replied.

Lucy turned around and was surprised to find that the maid Spirit was sitting inside of the clock Spirit. "What are you doing?!" the blonde mage questioned.

"Is it time for punishment?' she asks expectantly," Horologium said.

"Why are you sitting inside Horologium?" Lucy asked her.

"Because it calms me,' she says quite peacefully," Virgo spoke through the clock.

"This place is even weirder than the last one!" Happy commented.

"No kidding. Alright everybody, we'd better get a move on!" Natsu ordered.

Virgo stepped out of Horologium and approached Lucy. "Princess, I've finished repairing this for you," she said as she held up the whip the blonde had given her.

"You fixed the Fleuve d'etoiles?" Lucy inquired as she accepted the whip. "Hang on, it just looks like an ordinary whip now."

"It's far from ordinary, but I did make a few changes to make it more functional," Virgo explained.

"That's awesome! I can't thank you enough!" Lucy said graciously.

While she was talking to her Spirit, Romeo and Happy were talking about her behind her back. "Is it just me, or does Lucy live to crack the whip?" the fire mage questioned.

"That's just the kind of character she is," the tomcat replied.

"I'm within earshot, you know!" Lucy alerted them, agitated.

"We should get going, Happy," Romeo suggested, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the Celestial Wizard.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed, mimicking Romeo's actions.

"This sucks! I don't see a door anywhere!" Natsu moaned.

"Whoa, check out these angry-looking statues!" Happy said.

"I think those are coffins," Michelle stated, which freaked out the flying cat.

"I betcha there's some kind of trick to these, too," Romeo figured.

"I wanna touch them, but considering what happened to us last time, I know that I shouldn't, but that only makes me wanna touch them even more! Kinda weird," Lucy exclaimed.

"Probably best if we keep moving," Gohan suggested. Everyone's attention was then focused on the Fire Dragon Slayer, who was glaring at a specific coffin with a different-colored face than the rest. Natsu suddenly swung his fist at the coffin's head, knocking it right off. "Too late," Gohan muttered.

"What the heck did you do that for?!" Lucy cried.

"Oh sorry, that statue just looks so much like Gray, I just couldn't help myself," Natsu said.

"So much for not touching anything," Lucy murmured. The whole tomb suddenly started rumbling.

"Why is the ground shaking?" Michelle wondered.

"Feels like something might be coming this way," Happy noted.

"Yeah, I knew that would happen," Natsu laughed. "Guess it was smart of me to bust it after all!"

"Um, I'm not so sure," Romeo said. Suddenly, a large boulder started rolling toward the group from a tunnel in the back of the room; they all ran away from the rock that was about to crush them.

"Definitely not a smart move, Natsu!" Happy shouted.

" **Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"** Natsu roared as he tossed a giant fireball at the boulder; it crashed into the stone sphere but did nothing to it as it continued to chase the group. "I tried my best, but it didn't work!" Natsu screamed.

"When are you gonna learn?!" Lucy yelled.

"Wait, I've got it! I'll just use the spear to shrink it down!" Gohan exclaimed. He grabbed Habaraki from is back .and pointed it at the boulder, and a yellow beam was fired at it. The boulder glowed for a second… before it grew twenty times its size. "Well, that didn't work!"

"Don't you know how to use that thing?!" Romeo questioned the Saiyan.

"Of course not, I can't use magic!" he yelled back. The group eventually ran over to three thin stone bridges leading over an enormous trench. They all stopped in front of the giant hole to try and decide which bridge they should cross to safety.

"Are those bridges?" Romeo asked.

"Yeah, there's three of them!" Happy answered.

"I've got a feeling only one of them is safe," Michelle said.

"We've got no way of knowing which one is real!" Lucy cried. "What now?!"

"We don't have time to hesitate! I pick right!" Natsu decided.

"I pick left!" Lucy argued.

"Maybe it's the middle one!" Michelle suggested.

"Alright boys, you're the tie breaker!" Happy said.

Romeo and Gohan exchanged looks. "It's the middle one!" the boys said together. The group quickly ran across the middle stone bridge; as they did, the other two bridges suddenly crumbled away and fell into the abyss.

"You boys made the right decision!" Happy stated.

The boulder rolled onto the bridge after them. "Look up ahead!" Romeo warned them, as another large boulder was headed straight for them.

"There's one in front of us, too!" Michelle cried.

"Listen up, what are we gonna do now?!" Happy asked in panic.

"We gotta jump!" Natsu said.

"Are you crazy?! I can't jump that high!" Lucy screamed.

"I can help with that! Everyone should grab onto to me!" Gohan instructed.

"We don't need you to keep saving us, Gohan," Natsu said.

"Yeah, we can take care of ourselves!" Romeo agreed.

Seeing their determination, Gohan smiled and said, "Fine, I'll take care of the girls!" The two boulders collided with a big impact, shattering to pieces instantly. However, Natsu, Happy, and Romeo were high above along with Gohan, who was carrying Lucy and Michelle. "Nice job, guys!"

"Thanks!" the Fire Mages replied.

"Wow, Gohan, I'm surprised you can carry Lucy so easily," Happy commented.

"Shut your yap!" the blonde mage shouted.

The bridge suddenly crumbled to pieces and collapsed, resulting in Natsu and Romeo beginning to plummet down the trench. Acting quick, the fire mages used their magic to create fire hands and grabbed onto the side of the ditch; they both swung toward the wall where they safely crashed, sort of. The Exceed and the Demi Saiyan descended to their level with the blonde girls. "Well, that was terrifying," Lucy stated. "You guys okay?!" she asked the boys.

"We're fine," Natsu answered.

"Just a little sore," Romeo groaned.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Happy wondered.

"From the looks of it, we're gonna have to work our way down," Natsu figured.

"Easier said than done," Lucy remarked.

* * *

Elsewhere, Gray, Juvia, and Lyon had finally reached one of the Zentopian runes; after defeating the rock guardian and solving the puzzle, the three mages were able to get inside, where they encountered Sugarboy. Lyon and Juvia were trapped by his Dog Whistle Magic, but Gray managed to evade the attack and proceed to stop the Legion warrior from getting the clock piece. After a small scuffle, the two wizards found their objective and attempted to grab it at the same time; when they did, they were consumed by a gold light that transported them back to the entrance of the runes, leaving Gray's teammates behind. Now, the two enemies were tussling for dominance over the clock piece. "Would you just give the clock piece already?!" Gray demanded.

"You really think I'm gonna hand it over to you?! Please!"" Sugarboy scoffed.

"You'd better let go, cause if you don't I'm gonna…" Gray started to say. "Fall head over heels… in love!" The last part was fantasized by the Zentopian.

"Yeah baby, a straight up handsome man!" Sugarboy said.

"WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?! JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M NOT INTO GUYS!" the Ice mage yelled.

"Clearly your heart is as frosty as your biceps are bulging," Sugarboy said. "In that case, ice boy, I'll force my feelings on ya!" His signature slime suddenly burst out from his chest and attacked Gray, though this one was colored orange rather than green. It consumed the ice mage and began burning him from the inside.

"Oh man, it's so hot in here!" Gray cried.

"Spicy, ain't it? Just a little something I picked up from your pal Natsu," Sugarboy explained. "Now that I think about it, he's kind of a man's man too."

"I'll show you! This is nothing, I can bust out of here!" a persistent Gray said as he took his stance and started releasing magic power.

The singing mage became infatuated by the ice mage's determination. "That look, I like it," he said while blushing. "Come on, ice boy, let's boogie!" He then jumped back to avoid an ice attack and a water attack from Lyon and Juvia, respectively, having escaped from his hound doggies.

"Gray, haven't you had enough of this buffoon?!" Lyon questioned. "How long are you gonna let him have his way with you?! Get your act together; I won't have you bringing shame to Ur!"

"No way that's gonna happen!" Gray cried as he froze the slime and shattered it, freeing himself. "This has got nothing to do with Ur, and I would never do anything to tarnish her reputation!" He then created a pillar of ice and hoisted himself higher. Seeing an opening, Gray made a bow and arrow of ice and aimed it at Sugarboy; his Super Freeze Arrow. "Game over! Like I said, when I'm done with you, you're gonna wish you never missed with Fairy Tail!" Gray fired the ice arrow at the Legion warrior, who was too mesmerized to react; the arrow struck and Sugarboy was knocked onto his back. "Told ya I wasn't gonna let get this clock piece," Gray said as he held it.

"Why, why? Come on, don't be cruel. Why you'd have to check me into the heartbreak hotel?" Sugarboy asked before he passed out.

"So what are we supposed to do with the piece now?" Lyon inquired.

"I believe Gohan's instructions were to not collect the clock pieces," Juvia stated. "If we take it with us, we'll just be doing the Legion's work for them."

"I guess we'd better put it back then," Gray suggested. Before anyone could move, something slammed into the ground; when the dust cleared, standing before the three guild wizards was a red humanoid robot with many navy blue gems all over its body. The machine stared at the wizards with its pupiless eyes. Gray, Juvia, and Lyon, stepped back as they gazed at the machine. "What the heck is that?" Gray asked.

"Another enemy, I suppose," Lyon mused.

"Is it here for the clock piece, too?" Juvia wondered.

"If it is, then we gotta make sure it doesn't get it!" Gray declared. The machine simply raised its hand and fired a green energy blast; it hit the ground in front of the wizards, creating a shockwave that knocked them backward into the door of the runes. "What was that attack it just used?!" Gray questioned as he tried to stand on his feet. "It looked strangely familiar."

"I know I've seen an attack like that before," Lyon realized. "From our newest guildmate, Trunks!"

"My love, that attack was just like the one Gohan used to defeat Natsu!" Juvia said to Gray.

"So can this bastard use Ki like Gohan?!" Gray asked.

"What does it matter?! He's clearly here for the clock piece, so we can't let him get it!" Lyon said as he glanced at his old classmate; his eyes widened when he saw that the piece was missing. The three saw their objective on the ground seconds before the machine picked up the clock piece. "Gray you idiot, you've lost the piece! Should've known better than to leave protecting something that important in the hands of a child!" Lyon quickly took his stance and prepared to attack. "I don't know who or what you are, but you're about to feel the power of a real ice wizard! **Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!** " The mage from Lamia Scale created a giant tiger of ice that pounced on the machine. It bit into its shoulder, but the war machine didn't seem fazed from the attack at all; the machine's gems started glowing, and a green blast wave was released, shattering the ice beast immediately. "Impossible, how?" the ice mage questioned in shock, when the machine suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of the Lyon and hand chopped him aside.

"Lyon!" Gray cried. He then took his stance. "That's it, time to put you on ice! **Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!** " He formed a giant sword out of ice and charged at the machine; he swung his ice blade numerous times, but the foe easily evaded every strike before holding up its arm to block the ice wizard's attack. Gray's sword shattered against the machine's arm and the Fairy stepped back. "Alright freak, let's see you handle this! **Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!** " Gray's elbows were armed with ice blades; he swung seven times, but just as before, the machine dodged every slash before grabbing the blades and crushing them with his bare hands. "What the?!" he gasped before he was kicked away by the war machine.

"Darling, no!" Juvia cried before she turned to face the enemy, her face twisted in anger as she emitted magic power. "Anyone who dares to harm my love will face my waves of emotion!" she declared. **"Water Slicer!"** The Water Wizard unleashed multiple liquid blades at the red robot; once again, it took no damage as it simply walked toward the Rain Woman. The foe threw one of its massive fists at the ex-Phantom Lord member, but the punch went right through her body. The robot soon found itself imprisoned inside of a water sphere, courtesy of Juvia's Water Lock. "Now Gray, Lyon! Attack him while you can!" she ordered to her comrades.

"Nice work, Juvia!" Gray complimented.

"You truly are amazing, Juvy!" Lyon said.

The two students of Ur unleashed a duo ice blast that completely froze the machine while inside the water prison. "Well, guess that takes care of that," Gray sighed. "Now let's get that clock piece and put it back where it belongs." Before anyone could move, the ice dome surrounding the android started to crack. Many beams of green light broke through the ice until it finally shattered, releasing the machine. "No way, how'd it escape?! What the hell is this thing?"

"It shrugged off all our attack like nothing, and there's not even a scratch on it!" Lyon stated.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Juvia said. "My love, what do we do now?!"

The machine then crossed its arms and the gems on its wrists and forehead started to glow green; it then spread out its arms, releasing a massive kiai that blew both ice mages and the water mage away. "What just happened?! What did it do?!" Gray questioned.

"It somehow released some powerful wave with its arms," Lyon muttered.

"What kind of power could allow one to do that?" Juvia asked. All three mages were attempting to stand up and fight again when the machine suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Juvia. Before she could react, her body was pinned to the wall by the machine's left arm. The female wizard struggled as the enemy's gem on its right wrist started glowing and created a green Ki blade. The blade was pointed at her head as she stared at the emotionless face in fear.

"Juvia!" Lyon cried worriedly.

"Let her go!" Gray screamed in rage.

The robot ignored the male wizards as it pulled it blade back. Juvia closed her eyes and waited for the final strike, but it never came. She reopened her eyes and saw that the machine's chest gem was glowing and now held a magic seal with six numbers on it. The war machine cancelled his energy blade and dropped the water mage. It then walked over to the clock piece and picked it up. "Objective complete, clock piece acquired!" it said before disappearing completely. Juvia stared in shock at where the machine once stood as her comrades rushed to check on her. "Hey Juvia, are you alright?!" Gray asked as he held his hand out to help her; she took his hand and was pulled to her feet before embracing her love interest.

"Oh my darling Gray, I was so scared! I was afraid it would take me away from you!" she cried into his chest.

"Me too," Gray said softly as he patted her back to comfort her. "But it's alright now."

"Is it?" Lyon asked. "That thing not only bested us, but it got away with the clock piece."

"It seems we failed our mission," Juvia said, depressed.

"Looks like Gohan was right to tell us not to gather the clock pieces after all," Gray mused. "I had no idea something that dangerous was trying to gather them."

"I thought the Legion Platoon were the only ones trying to gather the clock pieces," Juvia said. "Could that thing be a part of the Legion?"

"I doubt that," Lyon replied. "The other Legion member attacked us the moment we entered the runes, but that thing waited until we got the clock piece first. If they were on the same side, they would've appeared together at the same time."

"But why did it wait for us to get the piece if it wanted it?!" Gray wondered.

"Think about it, my love, how did we acquire the clock piece?" Juvia hinted.

"We used our magic to solve the puzzles and find the piece," Gray answered.

"Precisely, and whatever power that thing used to defeat us, it wasn't magic," Lyon stated. "So in other words, it couldn't enter the runes at all since it possessed no magic."

"So it used us and Sugarboy to get that piece and then stole it from us," the raven-haired mage growled. "By the way, where is that idiot anyway?"

"He must've fled while we were fighting that thing," Juvia said.

"So, what's our next move?" Lyon inquired.

"I think we'd better meet up with the others, maybe they've had better luck than we did," Gray suggested.

"I hope you're right, my love," Juvia muttered as the three mages left the Zentopian runes.

* * *

Back in the underground cavern, after the group made it to the bottom of the abyss, they found themselves inside the biggest room in the entire Zentopian runes. The chamber looked very immemorial and had countless damaged homes and steps as well as numerous lit candles that were lighting up the whole place. They wasted no time as they continued their search for the clock piece. "Hey guys, where are we?" Romeo asked.

"It must be the lowest level of the tomb," Michelle answered.

"Looks more like a city to me," Happy commented.

"The Monks who were in charge of guarding Zentopia's holy tomb lived their entire lives down here," Lucy explained. "At least according to legend. Can you imagine never stepping foot outside?"

" _Kind of remains me of how Kami rarely leaves the Lookout even though he's the Earth's Guardian,"_ Gohan thought.

"We gotta find a little clock piece in a huge place like this?" Natsu complained.

"Can't you just sniff it out, Natsu?" Romeo questioned.

"Nah, it's like the clock hand, for some reason I can't really smell it," Natsu replied. The group passed by a pile of skeletons, which freaked Lucy out. The Fire Dragon Slayer took a few whiffs and suddenly became alert. "Whoa, do you guys smell that?!" he asked. "Where's it coming from?"

"I've got the chills, something's not right," Lucy muttered as she shivered.

The Demi Saiyan sensed something and looked up. "Guys, we've got company," he warned his friends while wearing a serious look. The others followed his gaze and gasped when they saw the Spearhead of the Legion, Dan Straight, and Coco standing right above them.

"I hate being right," Lucy groaned.

 **A/N: Done! Wow, when I started this arc, I didn't think it would be so much work, man! And yet for some reason, I just keep getting more and more excited as I continue writing it! I wanna get through this arc fast, so I'll be frequently working on this fanfic as much as I can. Hope you like the OCs, as they're going to have important roles in this story, as will Tyson Hammer. Little announcement: I created a new poll, one about who the lavender-haired Demi Saiyan Swordsman from the future should be paired up with. There are four choices, which you'll see when you vote; the last one is for those who share my ideals about the Saiyan Race needing to be reborn through its Demi Saiyans. Personally, I'm thinking of going with the fourth option, but I want to see what the readers think is a good choice. Plus, I might add more girls to the poll after I see the results from the 1** **st** **week or so. Thanks to those who have read, favorited, followed, and reviewed my story and things will only get better! Keep reading, until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**

 **P.S. Big thanks to my Beta Readers- sparkydragon98 (he helps with the ideas and proofreads my story) and Warmachine375 (helps with the ideas and is responsible for the OCs)!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but Lucy has her clock piece with her, just for the sake of plot convenience.**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail, Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima, respectively, do.**

 **Chapter 12 –**

"It's Coco and Dan!" Gohan exclaimed as the two Legion mages stared down at the Fairies.

"Oh man, not this clown again!" Lucy shrieked before she quickly hid behind Michelle.

"How did you guys even find out about this place?!" Natsu demanded.

"Thanks to the Key of the Starry Heavens, Samuel told me the whole story from memory," Dan revealed as he pointed his new sword at them. "And guess what, it said that one of the clock pieces is right here!"

"It looks to me like you sorry losers haven't been able to find it yet either," Coco noted.

Dan then gasped when he spotted the celestial mage behind her sister. "Could that really be my lovely Lu-Lu pumpkin over there?" he asked in disbelief.

"Don't you ever call me that again!" Lucy yelled.

"That's even more embarrassing than the names from last time," Michelle giggled.

"Our paths were meant to cross again, its unavoidable destiny!" Dan cheered as his eyes sparkled and he moved toward Lucy. "I can practically feel the thread of fate pulling us closer together!"

"How about you take that thread and wrap it around your neck instead!" Lucy screamed.

"L-O-V-E!" Dan shouted joyously.

Natsu suddenly charged at the knight and started rapidly punching his shield with flaming fists. "Well I'd love to get payback for last time!" he shouted before backing away and taking a deep breath. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** He shot a stream of fire from his mouth at Dan, but it was easily deflected by the Ricochet shield.

"I can't waste my time screwing around like this, because love beckons me with its sweet song! Oh yeah!" the lovesick knight declared. The flames from the Dragon Slayer started bouncing of the shield and spread all over the tomb; Lucy, Michelle, and Romeo were dancing in an attempt to avoid the flames.

"Hey Natsu, you gotta be more careful!" Romeo warned. Natsu ignored his warnings and went back to bashing the shield with his fire fists, yet with every punch, balls of fire were sent flying until they crashed into the ceiling of the tomb. Large chunks of rocks were raining down on the fairies as the cave started crumbling. "We gotta get out of here!" the fire mage cried. The Demi Saiyan quickly used Ki blasts to destroy the falling boulders, allowing his friends to flee. After a few minutes of running, the fairies stopped to look for the Legion knight and athlete. "They're not coming after us!"

"I hope we lost them!" Michelle cried.

"Exactly as I planned!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You are such a liar!" Happy accused his friend.

"Let's just find what we came here for!" Lucy said.

"Heads up, guys, they're back again!" Gohan alerted his comrades.

Dan suddenly appeared front of the celestial mage, startling her. "Whoa there, my lovely Lu-Lu pumpkin," Dan said. "First you and I need to water our garden of love!"

"That's gotta be the craziest thing I've ever heard in my entire life!" Lucy screamed.

"Hold on!" Coco called to Dan. "First you and I need to find that clock piece! Have you already forgotten that we were sent here on an important mission?!"

"Did I forget my mission, no way!" Dan replied. "I remembered my sweet love!"

"That's pretty much the same thing," Coco sighed.

"L-O-V-E!" Dan cried again.

"WOULD YOU JUST STOOOOOOP!" Natsu shouted as he let out another breath of fire, but once again it bounced off Dan's shield, accidentally getting Lucy who was standing right in front of it. "Whoops, sorry about that, Lucy," he apologized to the blonde mage.

"You dare stand in the way of our love?!" Dan asked Natsu in anger. He spun his new sword around and pointed it at the Salamander. "For that I'll slice you up like a tuna and serve you raw!"

"Sounds like a good way to go to me," Happy commented.

"Now I'm gonna give you a taste of my new magical sword!" Dan said. "Open wide 'cause here it comes!" The Spearhead of the Legion Platoon swung his sword numerous times at the Fire Dragon Slayer, but Natsu demonstrated his agility by swiftly evading every strike. However, Dan refused to give up so easily. "Let's see how long you can keep dodging!" he challenged the fairy as he swung even faster.

"Cut it out, Dan, you can fight him later! We need to find the clock piece!" Coco reminded her comrade.

"Can't you see that I'm busy right now?! Go on ahead; I'm sure you can find the clock piece without me!" Dan said.

"I can't because Samuel gave you all the details on how to find it!" Coco retorted, which made Dan frown. "I wouldn't even know where to start looking!"

"Alright, enough is enough!" Gohan shouted. He then disappeared and reappeared behind Dan before he hand chopped him in the neck, knocking him out.

"Phew, thanks Gohan!" Natsu said gratefully.

The Demi Saiyan nodded to his friend. The Legion athlete rushed at him and tried to kick him multiple times, but he blocked every strike before pushing her aside. "You guys just don't learn, do you?" Gohan questioned rhetorically. "You're no match for me!" Coco stubbornly tried to kick Gohan in the head, and this time he didn't counter it. Her foot made contact with the Saiyan's skull, but he showed no sign of pain from the attack. He then released a small kiai that blew Coco onto her rear; when she looked up, she saw her crush pointing Dan's spear at her. "You'd better surrender now, or I'll shrink you to the size of the ant you are!" Gohan threatened, trying to sound intimidating while he was actually thinking, _"Man, I hope she buys this. The last thing I wanna do is make her the size where she could crush my friends."_

As she sat on the ground, Coco was feeling conflicted on what she should do herself. _"Darn it, Dan's out and only he knows how to find the clock piece! I can't take on Gohan, let alone all these guild mages by myself!"_ She then sighed as she thought, _"Guess we'll just have to go with plan B; if I play nice for now, they can lead me to the clock piece! I'll have to stall them long enough for the others to arrive so that we can stop these guys from getting it."_ The athlete slowly stood up, making Gohan pull the spear back, and held up her hands in surrender. "Alright handsome, you win! I surrender!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow as he tried to decide if the girl was trying to deceive him or not. _"She backed down that easily? This isn't like the last time we met, could she be up to something?"_ the Z Fighter wondered. "Why should I believe you?" he asked her.

Although she couldn't answer, she didn't need to as the celestial mage spoke for her. "It's okay, Gohan. I don't think we have to worry about her trying something now, she's practically beaten," Lucy said.

Gohan still didn't drop his guard. _"Well, I guess she has no choice in this situation, but we should still be careful,"_ he thought as he lowered the spear. "Fine, but I want to make sure she doesn't try anything, so let's bring her along!" Gohan suggested.

"What about this guy?" Romeo inquired as he pointed to the unconscious Dan.

"Better take him with us," Gohan decided.

"I've got him," Natsu said as he picked up the knight and placed him on his shoulder.

"Just know, I'll be keeping an eye on you," Gohan warned the athlete.

"No problem, cutie," Coco responded as she winked at the Demi Saiyan, making him blush. The fairies and the Legion members then continued their journey through the tomb in search of the clock piece.

"How are we supposed to find the clock piece when we don't know where it is?" Michelle wondered.

"Don't worry. I brought the Key of the Starry Heavens book with me just in case," Lucy revealed as she pulled out the book and began to read it. They continued walking until they came across a statue holding a sword with the bladed pointed downward. Everyone stopped walking, but Lucy had her head still buried in the book and didn't notice that her friends had stopped walking.

"Lucy, wait!" Romeo called.

"Hang on, guys, I've almost got it," Lucy said, still oblivious. She then crashed into the statue, causing her to fall over. "Owww," she groaned. The statue's eyes started glowing red, which surprised the explorers. A large trap door suddenly opened up from under their feet, causing everyone aside from Gohan and Happy to fall in. Before they fell far though, they grabbed onto the side of the hole. As they hung on, Coco saw a skull right in front of her face and freaked out, losing her grip and falling further down the hole. She closed her eyes in fear before she stopped falling abruptly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in the arms of the Demi Saiyan. Gohan flew back to the top of the hole and placed her on her feet.

"Y-You… saved me?" she asked in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, I couldn't just let you fall, now could I," Gohan replied. He gave her the son family grin before going to the hole to help his friends up. Gohan brought Lucy out and Happy pulled Michelle up while Romeo and Natsu climbed back up while still holding Dan. "Everyone ok?" he asked, and they all confirmed they were fine and decided to keep moving.

"Hey Gohan," Coco called the Z Fighter to get his attention. "Thanks for saving me," she said gratefully before quickly saying, "But it doesn't change anything." And with that everyone continued through the tomb.

"So, what exactly is the Legion Platoon's goal here anyway?" Lucy questioned the athlete. "Why are you trying to collect the clock pieces? What's with all this Holy War and chaos stuff?"

Getting irritated, Coco replied, "Well, here's my question for you! If you don't know what we're doing, then why are you and your guys trying to stop us?!"

"We just wanna figure this whole thing out," Lucy said with concern. "Why, is there something else we should be doing?"

"Yeah, and that's leaving us alone!" Coco answered smugly. "You guys are a bunch of crappy wizards; you might as well just give up now!"

"What'd you just say?!" Natsu shouted furiously.

"Besides, you guys were the ones who attacked us first!" Romeo stated.

"We probably wouldn't have known about any of this if the Legion Platoon hadn't attacked our guild, stole Lucy's clock piece, and wrecked her home," Happy put in.

"Actually, you, Natsu, and the others destroyed most of Lucy's home," Michelle corrected.

"And we may not know what the Legion's goal is, but we know that the clock pieces aren't supposed to be gathered," Lucy added.

"Oh really, and how'd you figure that out?" Coco inquired.

"Gohan figured it out after reading the Key of the Starry Heavens," Happy answered.

"Which is why we're here in the first place," Gohan said. "To stop the Legion from doing just that!"

"You're pretty smart, handsome," Coco remarked. "But how can stop us from gathering the clock pieces when you don't know where to find it?"

"You don't exactly know where to look either," Gohan pointed out. "And your partner that did is a love crazed fool that's now unconscious. I thought Samuel was the brains of your group, why would someone as smart as him give important details to Dan instead of you?"

"I guess he just made a mistake," Coco said.

"More like a major miscalculation," Gohan muttered. His comment made Coco giggle and hearing this made Gohan smile at her. "You know, this is the first time I've seen you smile."

"What are you talking about? I've smiled before!" Coco argued.

"I mean not in delight at others being hurt, it's genuine now," Gohan explained. "It makes you look even cuter." He blushed as Coco's grew deeper.

"Aww, he liiiikes you," Happy teased them, which made Coco frown.

"You two do look so cute together," Michelle commented, and the others nodded in agreement.

"It's too bad this is how we had to meet each other; on opposing sides. We could've been good friends like you said," Gohan said.

"Well we aren't friends, we're enemies! And I wouldn't want to be friends you people anyway," Coco huffed before moving ahead.

" _Well isn't she a ray of sunshine,"_ Lucy thought. As everyone then resumed walking in silence, the blonde mage started to say something. "We need to be more careful, guys; there are probably a lot more booby traps in this place."

"Ah, you worry too much, Lucy," Natsu said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Must've already forgotten the traps we barely escaped from earlier," Happy muttered.

"Your friend has a right to worry," Coco said obnoxiously. "The builders of this tomb set up these traps to stop grave robbers and petty thieves like you guys!"

"Hey, we're not thieves!" Romeo exclaimed.

"Besides, you're here for the exact same reason as we are!" Lucy argued.

"True, but this is _Zentopia_ territory, and it's my duty as a member of the Legion Platoon to stop any lowly trespassers from messing with this place," Coco answered with disgust.

"Jeez, are you always this unfriendly to people?" Lucy asked the athlete, who didn't reply but just kept walking. "It's weird because you're so much like the other Coco we know, except she's a million times nicer."

"That so?" Coco questioned. "Then how am I like this other girl?"

"You both can run fast," Happy spoke.

"Yeah, and besides your personality, you two are practically identical," Lucy added.

"Huh?" a confused Coco said.

"Well, she looks and sounds exactly like you, and we actually started out as enemies, too," Lucy explained. "But by the end of the day, we became close friends."

"That doesn't sound like me, because I wouldn't want to the friend of a wannabe mage like you!" Coco denied.

"You don't have to get so personal," Lucy said. "We're just afraid that putting the clock pieces together is just gonna cause some major problems like Gohan said. We're trying to stop a worldwide disaster from happening; you know, the inevitable chaos thing."

"Do you guys honestly think we wanna destroy the world?" Coco questioned.

"Well, seeing as how things went from the day we met you guys, I would say yes," Gohan replied. "But getting to know you a bit, I can see that you guys aren't evil, especially not compared to some of the people I've faced who have tried to destroy the world."

"Then why are you guys getting our way?" Coco asked.

"It's not like we wanna be, but we're trying to do the same thing, yet you guys seem to think we're a problem," Gohan answered. "If you don't want to invoke this inevitable chaos, then what do you want?"

"Sorry, handsome, but I can't tell you that, we're still enemies," Coco responded. "This mission was given to us by the Archbishop, and we intend to complete it."

"Well, Lucy's dad gave us this job and we're not gonna let him down!" Natsu said.

"That's right! We must finish what Mr. Jude started so that he can rest in peace," Michelle agreed.

"Her dad?" Coco said, referring to Lucy. "Oh right, you're the daughter of Jude Heartfilia; he was one of the richest businessmen in the country."

"I may be his daughter but I can't say we saw eye to eye very often," Lucy admitted. "And this is no exception. I mean, why would anyone go through the trouble of hiding pieces of a clock in these hard-to-find places? I can't help thinking there might've been an easier way to go about it." Her friends nodded in unison.

"That might be the one thing we agree on," Coco said, which got Lucy to smile at her. "You wanna tell me what's so funny?"

"Nothing," Lucy answered. "Well, I was actually thinking that you're kinda silly."

"Hey, I don't appreciate you saying that about me!" an offended Coco exclaimed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult," Lucy apologized.

"Well, since we're getting to know each other, then I've got some questions for you, Gohan," Coco said to the Demi Saiyan. "Exactly what kind of magic do you use? How did you get so strong that you were able to take on Lord Byro? And why would you join Fairy Tail?"

Gohan thought for a moment. "Well, I can't answer your 1st question since we're _still enemies_."

"Okay, I deserved that one." Coco deadpanned.

"As for your 2nd question, I acquired this strength after years of intense training and fierce battling against dangerous foes," Gohan revealed. "And for your final question, Fairy Tail found me after I defeated a dangerous monster. Then the master invited me to join since I didn't have a way to get home, so I did."

"But why? I'm sure you could've gone anywhere else if your top strength is capable of besting the strongest member of the Legion Platoon," Coco said.

"First of all, you haven't seen me at top strength, because there's no one on Earthland capable of making fight at my full power," Gohan said.

"Just how powerful are you?!" everyone asked in unison.

"I hope we get to see you at your best someday," Natsu said.

"Don't count on it, Natsu," Gohan told him. "Anyway, I wasn't sure if I should join them, but I felt welcomed and they accepted me. Plus, I didn't feel like I was surrounded by adults, just kids who were a little older than me, and a few agemates like Romeo here. Trust me, they're really nice people, even to those who are supposed to be their enemies." His words made Coco ponder as they walked. The group soon came up to a dead end, with the only thing in front of them being another statue of a winged woman.

"Looks like a dead end, so maybe we should turn around and go back," Lucy suggested.

"Gee, you don't know anything, do you?" Coco mocked her. "Places like this always have secret hidden entrances!" She started walking toward the statue.

"Wait, no! Don't touch that!" Lucy cried. The fairies grew alarmed when the Legion athlete ignored them and touched the statue woman's chin, and the tomb began to quake while the ceiling collapsed, causing chunks of rubble to descend. Coco shrieked as she was about to be crushed, but then numerous fireballs and Ki blasts disintegrated every falling boulder, saving the Legion member. Coco looked back to see Gohan, Natsu, and Romeo with their hands pointed upward and smoking.

"I told you we're nice people," Gohan said as he looked at Coco's surprised face.

"How many more of these traps are we gonna have to go through?!" Natsu asked in annoyance.

"At this rate, it'll take us forever to find that clock piece," Happy noted.

Gohan then marched up to the statue and punched it hard; the statue and the wall crumbled before opening to reveal another tunnel.

"Nice work, Gohan!" Romeo cheered.

"How'd you know to smash the wall?" Michelle inquired.

"I was just getting impatient," Gohan replied simply. Everyone stared at the Demi Saiyan before following after him. Eventually they ended up inside a room that looked just like a church hall. There were numerous seats and an altar with a large Zentopian emblem on the wall right above it.

"Is this really the place?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucy answered as she opened the book she brought. "There's a line in the Key of the Starry Heavens: 'Long and silent has the key rested, embraced by the sound of reverend prayer.'"

"A prayer? That does suggest a church of some kind," Michelle said.

"Yeah, but there aren't a lot of places to hide anything here," Romeo stated.

"I'll get an Exceed's eye view and see if I can spy anything," Happy offered. As he flew to the top of the room, everyone else was searching from the bottom, but they didn't see any sign of what they were after.

"I don't see anything," Natsu said.

"I just don't get it, where could it be?" Lucy wondered.

"What'll we do now?" Romeo asked.

Just then, Dan woke up and broke away from the Salamander before whacking him with his shield, sending him flying. "Dan!" Coco gasped.

"Oh great, now he's awake!" Lucy groaned.

"You jerk!" Natsu growled.

"Hah! Thanks for leading me to the place where the clock piece is hidden," the Knight said as he stood in front of his comrade. "Now stand aside so that we can find it! And then… my dear Lu-Lu and I can finally be married!" Dan exclaimed as his nose released steam.

"In your dreams, you creep!" Lucy shouted.

"Alright, time for me to put you back to sleep," Gohan said, but before he could move, Natsu stood in front of him.

"Let me take him, Gohan, I still owe this jerk from before," an enraged Natsu said.

"Are you sure, Natsu?" the Demi Saiyan asked him.

"Yeah, I can handle him," Natsu assured him.

Seeing his guildmate's confidence, Gohan nodded and relented. "Alright, he's all yours. Just don't lose, or else I'll have to step in."

"You got it!" Natsu agreed.

"Hah! You should've let your friend take me on; you don't stand a chance against me!" Dan taunted the Dragon Slayer while pointing his sword at him.

"We'll see about that, I'm gonna give you a major butt kicking!" Natsu exclaimed as he ignited his fists. "It's time to settle the score once and for all!" He charged at the Legion knight and swung his fist at him, but Dan once again blocked the attack with his shield. "Not bad, but try this! **Fire Dragon Roar!"** Natsu unleashed his breath attack at Dan, who smirked and swung his sword at flames, causing it to disperse completely. "I see you got yourself another toy to play with!"

"You like it? My new sword is called Rebound! It takes your attacks, absorbs them, and releases with ten times their previous force! It's the perfect offensive weapon, and combined with the perfect defensive weapon, I'm practically untouchable!" Dan boasted as his sword started channeling fire. He then swung his blazing blade at Natsu, who blocked it with both of his hands. "Nice catch, but it's only a matter of time before your hands give in…" He stopped talking when he saw that the Salamander was sucking the fire into his mouth. "What the?" a stunned Dan questioned before he jumped back.

"Hah! You thought using fire on me could work? Well I got news for you, pal! Against me, fire is the worst weapon to use!" Natsu exclaimed as he smirked and held up another flaming fist. "Romeo, now!" he ordered.

"Right!" Romeo said in understanding as he tossed two purple flares at Natsu's fist. The two flames merged together, enhancing his fire even further. Dan tried to strike him with his sword but the Fire mage caught the blade and shattered it. He then appeared behind the Knight and shouted, **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He socked Dan right in the face, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That's how it's done, Fairy Tail style!" Romeo said.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu cheered.

"I prefer him when he's unconscious," Lucy remarked with relief.

"Hey, where's Coco?" Gohan inquired when he noticed the athlete wasn't around.

"She must've ran off during the fight," Michelle figured. The Zentopian emblem on the wall suddenly started to glow brightly. "Wow, the wall is shining." As the light began to fade, an enormous object was presented before the Fairy Tail members.

"That thing's gigantic!" Natsu commented.

"What is it?" Romeo questioned.

"It's the clock piece! We found it!" Lucy exclaimed.

"So that's where it was," Gohan said.

"Natsu's last attack must've caused it to be revealed," Michelle said.

"Two birds with one stone, nice one, bro!" Romeo complimented the pink-haired mage.

"That was my plan from the start!" Natsu said.

"Sure it was," Lucy laughed. "I'm just glad we found it, we're still in the game!" While the fairies were observing the clock piece, the athlete of the Legion Platoon was hiding behind a shattered wall, spying on them. "I managed to slip away during the fight, and now I've found the clock piece," she whispered to herself. "Now I need to figure a way to get it."

* * *

Elsewhere, after Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily found Gajeel, the five fairies went on to find/protect the clock piece, and their journey led them to the top of a large mountain. They started digging to see if their objective was buried inside, but it wasn't long before they encountered a member of the Legion Platoon. The Exceed Samuel engaged Pantherlily in battle, with both entering the same Battle Mode, while team Shadow Gear and Gajeel continued digging. They eventually ended up inside the mountain where they saw many statues, one with an inscription, and clock hands on the ground.

After solving the puzzle, the four mages found the clock piece, but when Gajeel removed it, they awoke the rock guardian. Despite Team Shadow Gear's coordination, they failed to defeat the enemy, and Jet and Droy were now out of commission. Gajeel and Levy continued to evade the rock guardian while Pantherlily and Samuel's battle moved to inside the chamber. "Gajeel," the black Exceed muttered as he looked over his shoulder.

"It's just as I calculated!" Samuel declared. "While I defeat you, brother, the ancient guardian will dispose of your comrades, and then when the dust has settled, I will claim the clock piece as my prize!"

"Fighting on an empty stomach ain't helping; I need some iron and quick!" Gajeel said before glancing at the clock piece in his arm. "Guess I can bite a chunk out of this thing."

"We need that, metalhead! Find something else to snack on!" Levy shouted.

"Cool it, princess, I was just kidding!" Gajeel yelled back.

"Now's not the time for jokes!" Levy reprimanded him before the two were separated by another attack from the rock guardian. "Run, Gajeel! It's trying to get the clock face back!"

"Well, that just makes things a lot easier," Gajeel said with a smirk. He then tossed the clock piece over to the blue-haired mage. "You hold on to it!"

"No, I don't wanna!" she shrieked as it landed in front of her feet, but the rock guardian turned toward her anyway, making her scream in fear. Before it could attack her, something burst through the ceiling and landed right on top of the rock guardian. Standing on top of the guardian was the red humanoid robot with many navy blue gems all over its body. The war machine's hand started to glow green from the energy it was channeling; it struck the guardian with its Ki enhanced fist, smashing it into numerous pieces. "What is that?" Levy questioned.

"I don't know," Gajeel answered.

"What's happening?!" Pantherlily asked.

"What is that thing?! It wasn't in my calculations!" Samuel yelled.

"Is that thing here for the clock piece?!" Jet questioned.

"Geez, I hope not!" Droy said.

Just as they feared, the machine started walking toward Levy, who was holding the clock face. "So you want this, huh?" she said to it. "Well too bad cause you're not getting it! **Solid Script: Fire!** " The blue-haired mage wrote the word fire in the air, creating an enormous blaze, and tossed it at the machine. After a few minutes, however, the machine walked out of the flames, completely unscathed.

"I thought only Natsu was fireproof," Jet said.

"Ok, try this! **Solid Script: Iron!** " Levy created a giant block of metal in the air; it appeared right above the machine and plummeted downward. The red robot simply threw its fist upward and made contact with the iron. The metal word immediately shattered into chunks of metal, surprising all who were watching.

"Oh man, it shattered iron like it was glass," Droy noted.

"Levy, run!" Lily shouted.

The blue-haired mage stood in fear as the machine started to walk toward her. Black Steel jumped in front of her and took a deep breath. **"Iron Dragon Roar!"** A hurricane of iron shards flew right at the oppressor, and it collided with the machine and exploded. "Heh, heh! Whatever that thing was, I just reduced it to scrap!" he chuckled.

"Thanks, Gajeel," Levy said.

"Sure thing, shrimp," he replied before the dust cleared and he saw that the machine was still completely intact and holding out one hand. "So, you're a tough piece of metal. Well, let's see how you take this! **Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!** " The Iron Dragon Slayer shifted his right arm into a spear and fired numerous iron spikes at the enemy. They all hit their target but none of them made even a single dent in the war machine. "What the hell?! Not even a scratch!" Black Steel shouted in disbelief. He then swiped the clock face from Levy as the machine got closer to them. "Hey fast feet, catch!" Gajeel ordered as he threw the clock piece to Jet.

"Why the heck are you giving this to me?!" Jet asked.

"Just hold onto it and don't stop running!" Gajeel instructed. "I need to refuel!" The ex-Phantom Lord mage went over to the pieces of iron and started devouring them quickly.

Jet looked at the machine, which was slowly walking toward him. "Alright, big guy, you're strong, but let's see if you're fast! **High Speed!** " The orange-haired mage started running incredibly fast, but before he could get far, he crashed into something hard. Jet shook his head and saw the very machine he was running from standing right in front of him. _"Whoa, when'd he get in front of me?!"_ Jet thought. He quickly got up and started running again, only for him to crash into the red robot again. Every time he tried to escape, the war machine somehow got in front of him faster than anyone could see. _"How is he moving so fast?!"_ Before he could do anything, the machine grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up, and took the clock piece.

"Jet!" Levy cried.

"Let him go!" Droy shouted as he dropped a few seeds. "Take this, **Knuckle Plant!** " Numerous fist-shaped plants erupted, heading toward the machine, yet it countered by firing a green energy beam at the plants, reducing them to ash. "No way!"

"That looked like… Ki," Levy muttered.

"But I thought only Gohan could use Ki," Droy said in bewilderment.

Jet managed to escape the machine's grasp while it was distracted and regrouped with his teammates. "So what do we do now?" he asked. Lily tried to sneak attack the machine with his sword but it dodged the attack. The black Exceed continued to swing at the enemy but it was futile. Suddenly, many vines were wrapped around the machine, preventing it from moving. "Got it! Gajeel, Lily, attack now!" Droy shouted. The Iron Dragon Slayer and the Exceed soldier charged at the red robot. **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"** Gajeel exclaimed as he formed his arms into a massive black blade. Both fairies swung their enormous weapons at the enemy, but were shocked when it snapped the vines and blocked their strikes with its arms. "What the? How did he do that?!" The machine then let out a force of energy that blew both fairies into the walls of the room, forcing Lily out of his Battle Mode. "Gajeel!" Levy cried worriedly as she ran to check on the Dragon Slayer.

"That thing's a real monster," Jet remarked.

"Yeah, it took both Gajeel and Lily's attacks without getting a scratch," Droy stated.

Just then, Samuel descended to the ground and faced the machine. _"It's clear that this thing is not on either of our sides, yet it's here for the clock piece,"_ he thought. _"I thought that by watching his fight against Fairy Tail, I could study it and calculate a way to defeat it, but all my calculations end in my defeat; this thing is too powerful! Its magic is unknown and its strength surpasses even a Dragon Slayer's!"_ The Exceed took a deep breath. _"There's still one way I can win this. I can't beat that thing head-on, but my objective is the clock piece and if my calculations are correct, I should be able to swipe it or at least destroy it!"_ He then brought his claws out and took his stance.

"What is that cat doing?!" Gajeel demanded.

"Is it really gonna fight that machine?" Levy questioned.

"Don't do it! You don't stand a chance, Sammy!" Lily warned.

"I told you my name is Samuel! And I'm doing what needs to be done, brother! I calculated all the possibilities and there's only one way for me to win this!" the Legion cat shouted as he rushed at the machine. He launched his claws forward to attack, aiming for the clock piece, but before he could get it, the machine disappeared and reappeared behind the Exceed. "What?!" Samuel gasped in shock.

"You're not the only who can calculate, cat!" the machine stated as it raised its hand. It fired another Ki blast right above Samuel, hitting the ceiling and causing it to collapse on the Exceed. The rubble landed on the Exceed's right leg and wing. "Objective complete, 2nd clock piece acquired!" it said before flying through the hole in the roof.

"Well, at least it's gone," Jet said.

"Yeah, but it got away with the clock piece," Droy moaned.

"Damn it!" Gajeel growled. "What was that thing?!"

"Sammy!" Pantherlily cried as he rushed to help his fellow Exceed, who was also forced out of his Battle Mode. He removed the rubble off of the Zentopian feline. "Are you alright, Sammy?" he asked with concern.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT ALRIGHT, YOU BARBARIAN!" Samuel shouted, making Lily sweatdrop. "IT'S INCONCIEVABLE; I'VE NEVER COME ACROSS ANYONE WHO CAN ELUDE MY CALCULATIONS! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN A SIMPLE INCORRECT GUESS!" Lily yelled as he kicked Samuel into a wall, knocking him out. Gajeel and Team Shadow Gear regrouped with him. "So, what's our next move?" he inquired.

"I think we should meet up with the others," Levy suggested. "If that thing took our clock piece, it could be after the others."

"Then let's get going already, unless Lily wants to spend more time with his brother," Gajeel teased.

"We're not related in the slightest," Lily said before he glanced at Samuel and thought, _"Fighting is a dynamic thing; strategy helps but you must adapt when things go wrong. You've still got a lot to learn before you're called my brother, Sammy, but you have talent. If you wish to settle the score in the future, I'll be happy to oblige."_ The fairies then left the Legion cat and went on their way.

* * *

Back at the tomb, Dan had awoken from his nap but honorably surrendered due to his defeat, so the Fairies decided that now would be a good time to ask him what the Legion Platoon's agenda was, who he was and why he was chasing after Lucy. However, Dan took this as an invitation to tell them his background story in pictures, basically about growing up in Cedar city, training as a knight, falling in love with a fellow woman knight who looked identical to Lucy before getting rejected, traveling the world in search of true love, and then finally joining the Legion Platoon. **(A/N: If you want to know the actual story, then watch the show.)**

He stated that he couldn't reveal any of the Legion's secrets and started chasing Lucy around to try to marry her. As Lucy ran from the knight, the others just watched as they decided to wait for their comrades to meet up with them. Wondering what happened to Coco, the others still thought she was an enemy but Lucy defended her, as did Gohan. Although he knew where she was hiding, the Son of Goku didn't reveal it to his friends and just stayed alert while Coco was conflicted about what she should do while watching them.

"Man, I can't believe they're still going at it," a bored Natsu commented as he watched Dan chase Lucy.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting hungry," Romeo said.

"Me too," Gohan growled as he watched the scene while tapping his foot.

"What part of no don't you get?!" Lucy screamed at Dan.

"No doesn't exist in the dictionary of love!" the knight answered.

"Go find someone else to feel up!" she shouted.

"You do realize she's not the only girl in this room right?" Happy asked as he flew beside Dan. "Michelle is a nice young lady with a body that won't quit, if you know what I mean."

Dan then went over to Lucy's sister and examined her. "Uh, hi," she said nervously.

"I see what you're saying. She's pretty and all, but I like my girls with a little more life in them," Dan replied. His statement made Michelle frown and Gohan raise an eyebrow.

"I don't get it. He must have a thing for loudmouth tomboys," Happy figured.

"You shut your mouth, cat!" yelled Lucy.

Suddenly, Virgo appeared in a puff of smoke. "Shall I punish him for you, Princess?" she asked Lucy.

"Virgo? But I didn't summon you!" Lucy exclaimed.

"You know I'm always ready, willing, and able to offer my help in your times of need, Princess," Virgo responded as she ran beside Lucy.

"Princess? I didn't know Lucy was actually royalty!" Coco said as she gazed at the celestial mage with starry eyes. "That explains why she's so kind and beautiful!"

"Princess, I could put him deep in the ground if that would please you," Virgo offered.

"That might be a little too much," Lucy admitted hesitantly.

"Hello there, are you Lu-Lu's maid?!" Dan asked the celestial spirit. "In that case, I'd like you to prepare a meal for the two of us, something romantic to kindle the fires of love!"

"I'm not ready to prepare a meal, I'm afraid, but I can entertain you if you like," Virgo offered the knight. She then started dancing in a strange way.

"Not this again! Wait, why are you even listening to him?!" Lucy questioned.

Dan seemed completely fascinated by the maiden's dance movements. "I can't believe you know my hometown's dance, and you perform with incredible grace!" he complimented Virgo.

"I've performed this dance countless times before, but I've never been praised for it until now," Virgo replied. The Knight soon joined in and the two danced together, confusing the others watching.

"Wait a minute, are they flirting?" Lucy inquired.

"If you ask me, they're perfect for each other," Happy remarked.

Virgo then stopped dancing, leaving Dan to dance on his own "It appears I've defused the situation, Princess. If you need anything else, let me know," she told Lucy before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Wait, I thought you were getting rid of him!" Lucy yelled.

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Gohan stated, finally fed up. He fired an energy beam at the giant clock piece, causing everyone to scream, thinking it would be destroyed, but the blast sailed past the piece and hit the side of the wall.

"What the heck was that for, Gohan?!" Lucy questioned.

"You know we can't destroy the clock pieces!" Michelle said worriedly.

Gohan's face turned serious, which started to scare everyone. "That was a warning shot!" he declared. "And if you don't want that clock piece reduced to its own pieces, you'll answer our questions truthfully!" His eyes turned to Dan Straight, who stopped dancing and nodded. "First, I know where you're hiding Coco, so you might as well come out!" the Demi Saiyan shouted to the athlete, and she quickly came out from her hiding place and stood beside her comrade. "Now, tell me what the Legion Platoon's goal is! If you have no interest in ending the world, then why are you gathering the clock pieces?" he questioned them.

"We don't have any intention of using the clock pieces to harm anyone!" Dan answered. "We're trying to protect them since they're Zentopian property; this is the will of the Archbishop!"

"But why?" Gohan asked again.

Both Legion members were silent for a bit before Coco answered, "His grace has been having… nightmares, specifically about the clock pieces being gathered and bringing about the inevitable chaos. It's been getting worse with time, and we believe the only way to end it is to prevent his nightmare from coming true." Her words were filled with worry and fear. "I know it seemed like we were oppressing you, but when you think about it, we're actually trying to accomplish the same thing."

Gohan then closed his eyes before reopening them. "Ok, I believe you," he decided as he lowered his hand. "But that just leaves one unanswered question: if you guys aren't trying to bring about the inevitable chaos and we aren't, then who is?"

"You think someone else is gathering the clock pieces?" Lucy inquired and Gohan nodded.

"What makes you think that?" Natsu questioned.

"I was suspicious since our conversation with Coco in the tomb," Gohan revealed. "But then I remembered something Michelle said when we met those architects."

"You mean the thing about someone from Fairy Tail being a traitor?" Romeo asked.

Gohan nodded. "Although I doubt anyone from Fairy Tail would do something like that, there might be someone leaking information about the clock pieces, and that same person is the one who really wants to gather them."

"Does that mean they'll come here for this piece?" Happy wondered.

"What about the others?" Lucy asked. "This person may attack our friends for the pieces they're trying to protect!"

"And our friends!" Coco added worriedly. "What can we do?!"

Before anyone could provide an answer, Gohan sensed something. His face turned serious as he looked up at the Zentopian symbol. "Someone's here!"

"How disappointing, I expected you to have the clock piece by now!" a sudden cold voice said from seemingly nowhere.

"That voice… it's Lord Byro!" Dan exclaimed.

"You mean the Octo-jerk?!" Natsu questioned. A giant octopus suddenly burst up from underground, blowing everyone back and causing the church building to collapse. "I cannot understand why the two of you seem to be having such difficulty!" Byro said before he spotted the Demi Saiyan among the group of fairies. "That boy is here?! Now I see, you have interfered with Zentopia's plans once again!"

"We failed to acquire the clock piece through any means necessary; our deepest apologies, Lord Byro!" Coco said.

"I'm terribly ashamed! I allowed myself to be distracted from my objective, forgive me, sir!" pleaded Dan. He then smiled with joy and said "However, I am happy to report that this holy ground is where I met the girl of my drea—ah!" A large piece of rubble landed on the knight's head and knocked him.

"You deserved that," Coco said bluntly.

"Fall back and reflect on your incompetence while I clean up the mess you've made!" Byro ordered. He then turned his attention to the fairies, specifically the Son of Goku. "You and your guild have caused us enough trouble, boy. I'll make sure that all of you live to regret it!"

"Check it out, guys; he's trying to act all high and mighty while standing on a giant octopus!" Natsu giggled to Gohan and Romeo.

"I wouldn't laugh, he held his own against Gildarts, remember?" Romeo pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, he's powerful, who cares?! He's riding on a giant freaking octopus!" Natsu said again harshly, making Kanaloa's face drop.

"I think you're hurting its feelings," Gohan noted.

"Natsu's turned into a jerk of a role model," Happy said.

"That makes me worry about Gohan and Romeo's future!" Michelle cried.

"Wait, that means if I beat this guy, then it's kinda like I beat Gildarts too!" Natsu exclaimed with excitement.

"You're no match for me, I'll destroy you," Byro stated. "But I didn't come to face you; it's the black-haired boy I wish to annihilate!"

"Say what?!" Natsu shouted in fury. Kanaloa then attacked by releasing a massive ink blast at the boys, so they quickly dodged and the ink hit the ground, melting a hole into it. "Oh man, that is some dangerous ink!"

"Be careful, guys!" Happy called.

"Don't worry, just stay back, I've got this!" Natsu assured his friends. **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** He jumped into the air and slammed his flaming fist onto the octopus' skin, but his fist just sank into the squishy creature's skin, causing no damage at all. There was no time to be surprised as Kanaloa slapped the Dragon Slayer away with its tentacle. Natsu crashed into the wall but quickly recovered in time to dodge Kanaloa's second strike. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** Natsu announced as used his breath attack. Kanaloa countered with its ink blast and the two attacks canceled each other out. Coco stood there watching while her comrade laid beside her, still unconscious.

"What now?" she asked herself, feeling conflicted. "I don't know… what I… should do."

"Coco! Look out!" Lucy cried in warning. She tackled the athlete, saving her from getting crushed by Kanaloa's tentacle. The two tumbled across the floor until they crashed into the wall. "Ow… are you alright?" she asked the girl.

"I think that's 7 points," she replied before asking, "What about Dan, is he okay?!"

"Yeah, see," Lucy answered as she pointed to Natsu, who had grabbed the knight in time.

"Hey Octo-punk, are you so stupid that you don't even know whose on your side?!" Natsu shouted to Byro.

"Yeah, Coco and Dan are your allies!" Lucy agreed.

"I realize that, but as proud members of the Legion Platoon, they are prepared to sacrifice their lives to win this holy war," Byro answered heartlessly.

"What gives you the right to decide that for them?!" Gohan questioned.

"That's right! You don't get to speak for her! She doesn't belong to you or Zentopia or anyone else, she can make her own decisions!" Lucy yelled in Coco's defense, though the young girl seemed to grow more depressed as Lucy spoke.

"You're in no position to chastise my actions; you fail to grasp the severity of the situation!" Byro said. "There are many more lives at stake in this war than you realize!"

"We know what's at stake; the whole is in danger from this holy war! And that's why we'll do what we can to stop the gathering of the clock pieces!" Gohan declared.

"We'll see about that, boy!" Byro yelled. The giant clock piece started glowing, revealing the same inscription that was on Lucy's clock hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Strauss siblings found their clock piece in a large river by the side of a cliff, but not long after they did, they were confronted by Mary Hughes. She used her conducting art's second movement to pull out Mirajane's default Satan Soul and used it as a puppet to attack them. Elfman attempted to fight the demon, but it proved to be just as strong as when his sister used it. With her siblings beaten down with her own power, Mira was the only one left to oppose the conducting wizard. "That was fun, but I don't wanna play with you guys anymore," Mary Hughes laughed. "So I'll put you out of your misery before I go, though."

"Tell me, do you enjoy hurting others like this?!" Mira demanded.

"Honestly, I do, 'cause it proves I'm not the helpless loser I used to be," Hughes admitted. "Now that I'm powerful, the only thing I need to worry about is wiping out anyone who opposes the Archbishop." The Satan Soul puppet began charging up Mira's Soul Extinction attack. "It's a shame you're defying Zentopia, 'cause that's a major sin! And all sinners must die!"

"Just try it!" Mira challenged as she stood up.

"What are you gonna do? You're helpless now that my sacred baton has control of your powers! This is the end of the line! Goodbye, Fairy Tail!" Hughes declared as her puppet fired its attack at the Strauss siblings, and the cliff was consumed in a dark explosion that stretched upward. "Who knew she was so strong, I think I might've overdone it." Hughes eyes went wide in shock when she saw that Mira had deflected the attack, protecting her siblings and herself by entering a different form.

"Uh oh, we've got trouble now!" Elfman gulped when he saw Mira's appearance. "Calm down, Mira! Don't let it take over, stay in control!"

Mira's new form consisted of sky blue scales that covered her arms and legs like armor. Her forearms had fins, her fingers had turned into sharp claws, and she had pointy ears in the same colored scales that covered part of her face. She wore a light and dark blue-striped one piece suit that left her arms, legs, and stomach uncovered and revealed a large part of her upper chest and back. Her shoulders had spiked pads, she grew two feathery curved wings, and behind her was a scaly tail that swayed around. Her lips were a darker shade of red and her eyes were a piercing dark blue color.

"No way, that's impossible!" Hughes cried. "No one told me she had another Satan Soul!"

"I don't understand, what's happening to Mira?" Lisanna inquired.

"This is bad, we've gotta get out of here while we still can," Elfman warned his sister. "This form is different from Satan Soul. The reason you've never seen it before is because our master forbade her from using it. It's known as the Demon God Halphas!"

The two demons charged at each other, destroying the landscape in their battle, yet with every strike, it seemed that Mira in her Halphas form had full control of the fight. "This is no fair, she's totally cheating!" Hughes complained. "I had no idea she was an actual demon! How am I supposed to fight her?! She's so sinful and wicked!"

"To be honest with you, I like Zentopia's teaching," Mira confessed. "Acknowledging and bearing the malevolence within you, devoting every ounce of your love to others. However…" She raised her hand and fired a pink blast that created an explosion; the Satan Soul tried to block it, but was being overpowered. "I've lost all respect for them now that I know they embrace people like you. Such a shame!"

"How dare you, I've had enough of this!" the conductor mage screamed. Her body started releasing golden magic energy as her baton hand fully opened up its palm. "I'm sorry, Archbishop! I know that I'm committing a sin, forgive me! I'm doing it all for you!" The Satan Soul flew above Hughes and turned into a stream of dark red magic that plummeted into the conductor and consumed her in a blinding explosion of light.

"What the heck is happening?!" Elfman wondered.

"Look, inside the blast!" Lisanna shouted.

"Merging with someone you control, **Conducting Art: Third Movement!** " Hughes called out. When the light dissipated, Mira's Satan Soul stood before them wearing a malicious smile on its face. "Using this forbidden technique, I will defeat you with your own power!" she cried as she charged at Mirajane and threw a punch at the demon goddess, but it was easily blocked. Hughes proceeded with a barrage of blows that Mira continuously deflected.

"So this…" Mira said as she smacked Hughes in the head before kicking her in the gut. "…is what you call a sin?!" The two demons flew around the whole cliffside, clashing repeatedly with astounding force.

"They're moving so fast I can barely see them!" Elfman said.

"Wow! Mira's… kinda scary," Lisanna admitted.

Hughes formed a giant ball of magic energy and fired it at Mira, but the She Devil held out her hand and deflected the blast, which flew around her and hit numerous spots on the ground. "No way! That attack didn't even scratch her!" Hughes yelled in shock before Mira appeared right behind her.

"As far as I'm concerned you've committed an even greater sin!" Mira exclaimed as she struck Hughes again. "You've had your fun! Now, you'll pay for taking my power and using it against my siblings!" She opened her hand, and fired a massive pink blast that consumed Hughes and blew her to ground. After the debris ended, Hughes was lying on her back in a large crater. She groaned in pain as Mira descended right in front of her. "You used my magic to threaten my loved ones, and that is unforgivable!"

"Stay away," Hughes muttered weakly.

"Here it comes, just thinking about it makes me wanna pass out!" Elfman said.

"What's Mira gonna do to her?" Lisanna questioned.

The Demon Goddess smashed her fist right beside Hughes' head, cracking the ground. Mira then raised her hand as if to strike. "Please…don't!" the conductor pleaded, and her eyes widened with fear as Mira thrust her hand forward, stopping right in front of Hughes' face while making an L sign with her index finger and thumb. Mira looked at Hughes sternly before speaking one word.

"Bad!" Hughes stared at the demon in shock. "Bad!" Mira repeated and Hughes passed out.

"So terrifying," Elfman muttered as he trembled. "This one time, she was so desperate to catch an enemy and discipline them that she wiped out an entire town."

"No wonder Master forbade her from using it," Lisanna laughed.

Suddenly, the red robot from before landed on the cliff, drawing everyone's attention; it glanced around until it located the clock piece that the Strauss siblings found. It started walking over to the piece before Elfman stepped in his path. "Who are you?" he asked, but the machine ignored him. "Are you here for the clock piece, too?" Again the robot didn't answer as it continued to approach the clock piece. "Why won't you answer me?! What kind of a man are you?!" Elfman questioned the machine. "Look, I don't care who you are, but you're not getting that clock piece, so you might as well leave before you lose to a real man!" The machine ignored the man's warnings as it got closer. "Alright, you asked for it! **Beast Arm: Black Bull!** " The male Strauss charged at the machine and threw his beastly right fist at him, but the machine easily caught the punch, surprising the Take Over mage.

"Ok, big guy, how about this! **Iron Bull!** " His left arm changed into a metal fist and he punched the machine in the face, yet it showed no sign of any damage from Elfman's attack as it grabbed his wrist. Elfman stared in surprise, and the machine picked him up and tossed him into the side of the cliff. "Elfman!" Lisanna cried. She quickly ran to check on her older brother, while Mira stood up and faced the machine, still in her Halphas form.

"Listen, I don't appreciate anyone hurting my family!" Mira declared. "I'll have to discipline you as well!" She held up her hand and fired her pink blast at the machine. The blast hit and consumed the red robot, but when the smoke cleared, Mira gasped when she saw the war machine was still standing with its hand held out. "What? H-How?!" she asked. The machine lowered his hand and its eyes starting glowing; it fired eye beams at Mira's feet, which she jumped to avoid. The beams hit the ground, creating an explosion, and the shockwave blew the She Devil into a rock wall. She returned to her original form as she lay on the ground, unconscious.

The machine then walked over to the clock piece and picked it up. "Objective complete, 3rd clock piece acquired!" it declared before levitating into the air and flying off.

* * *

At the tomb, Natsu and the others were still avoiding Kanaloa's attacks, when the octopus managed to grab the Dragon Slayer with one of its tentacles, pinning him to the ground. "Your tentacles are so heavy!" Natsu cried. The sea creature then opened its mouth to fire an ink blast at the mage. "Wait! No! Don't shoot, Octo-scum!" Natsu pleaded but the octopus fired away. Fortunately for him, the ink was quickly countered with a wave of water from a certain water bearer.

"You're lucky I got here when I did or your loudmouth friend would be a goner," the mermaid commented.

"I knew I could count on you!" Lucy said while holding Aquarius' key in a puddle.

"What the heck?! You summoned me with a puddle?!" the fish lady questioned furiously.

"Sorry, but that's all I could find," Lucy defended herself.

"Thank you, Lucy and, um, Aquarium," Natsu said.

"It's Aquarius!" the water bearer corrected.

Gohan then grabbed Kanaloa's tentacle and lifted it up. Romeo grabbed the Fire Dragon Slayer with his fire magic and pulled him to safety. "Cool, it's like Natsu fishing," Happy remarked.

"Hey, Romeo, you think you can get its mouth open?" Natsu asked the young boy.

"Yeah, just leave it to me!" Romeo assured. **"Purple Net!"** He threw a purple fireball at the octopus, which expanded into a net that forced Kanaloa's mouth to remain open.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered as he jumped toward the octopus. He took a deep breath and announced, **"Fire Dragon…"** as he prepared to launch a breath attack at the sea creature.

"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Gohan questioned.

"It looks like he's gonna breathe fire right down the octopus' mouth!" Happy shouted.

"But isn't that kinda cruel?!" Lucy asked.

"Oh, I bet it's going to taste delicious freshly grilled," Michelle said with joy.

"Well she doesn't seem to think so," Aquarius noted.

Before Natsu could attack, the octopus grabbed him again and slammed him into the wall. "How terribly naïve," Lord Byro said. "Kanaloa is a veteran warrior like me. Such childish tactics aren't going to work." As the octopus' tentacle moved around, the Dragon Slayer's face became pale due to his motion sickness. "It would appear victory is ours. Let us retrieve the clock pieces and go, Kanaloa."

"Hey!" Gohan cried as he raised his hands above his head; the octopus turned toward the Demi Saiyan as he poured Ki into his palms. **"Masenkoha!"** he shouted as he fired an energy blast at the sea creature. The blast struck its tentacle, severing it and freeing Natsu.

"Thanks, Gohan," Natsu said gratefully.

Gohan nodded as he faced the octopus. It tried to squash him with its tentacle but he jumped into the air to dodge. Gohan threw his fist back and punched Kanaloa, but just like with Natsu, his attack didn't damage the sea creature at all due to its soft, squishy skin. It then grabbed the half Saiyan with its tentacle and slammed him into the wall. Gohan showed no sign of injury as the octopus held him in front of Lord Byro. "You and your guild have proven to be a great nuisance to our cause," Byro said. "Give us the clock pieces and we'll leave you without causing further harm."

"I don't think so!" Lucy shouted, getting Byro's attention. "My father left this clock hand to me! It's the only thing I have to remember him by; you don't have the right to take it!"

"What's so important about these clock pieces that you would go to such lengths to steal them?" Michelle inquired.

"We're not stealing them; we're taking them into our care!" Byro corrected them.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lucy demanded.

"We're gathering these pieces because they belong to the Infinity Clock. The Archbishop of Zentopia has demanded that we retrieve them, so we're just simply following his orders," Byro explicated.

"The Infinity Clock?" Lucy muttered.

"What could the Archbishop possibly want with something like that?" Michelle asked. Byro didn't reply as he reminisced on what the Archbishop told him.

 _Flashback- "Time ticks forward, on toward inevitable chaos," the Archbishop said as he sat up in his bed. Lord Byro was kneeling in front of his bed. "I don't suppose you know what that means, Byro?" the Archbishop questioned._

" _That's the phrase you hear in your dreams, is it not?" Byro responded. "Forgive me, my lord, but I haven't the slightest idea."_

" _Once every one hundred years, the Infinity Clock releases the magic power it has accumulated and becomes active," the Archbishop clarified. "It is said that if all six of the scattered clock pieces are gathered together when it is activated…"_

" _What will happen?" Byro asked._

" _Then the clock will begin to tick, and it will bring about the end of the world!" the Archbishop stated darkly._

" _That can't be!" Byro gasped._

" _According to the cardinals, a wizard guild is looking to gather the pieces of the Infinity Clock," the Archbishop told him. "We're the only ones who can stop them! In other words, we now have a purpose given to us by a higher power! Byro, prepare yourself for a holy war!" Flashback ends_

"If all of the clock pieces are gathered together…" Lucy began.

"Then the world will come to an end," Michelle finished.

"So that's the inevitable chaos," Lucy deduced.

"Yeah, sounds like it," Romeo agreed.

"Things just got way more serious!" Happy cried.

"Now do you understand? We cannot allow you to keep the clock pieces; a mere wizard guild does not have the power to protect the world from destruction," Byro stated.

"He's got a point! If we make one mistake, it could spell disaster," Michelle said.

"Maybe… we should give them the clock pieces after all," Romeo suggested.

"No way! The Legion Platoon is the reason we're looking for the clock pieces in the first place!" Gohan shouted. "How can you people have the power to protect the world from chaos when you're trying to cause it without knowing?!"

"Yeah, and that story sounds like a bunch of baloney if you ask me!" Natsu added. "If gathering the clock pieces is gonna make something bad happen, then I gotta wonder what you and your buddies are up to!"

"Natsu's right! The answer is to not gather them, just like Gohan said!" Happy agreed. "Besides, do we really want Zentopia holding the fate of the world in their hands?"

"Yeah, you guys don't know what to do with them any more than we do!" Lucy stated. "Who says you guys won't make a dangerous mistake?!"

"Oh no! We're all gonna die!" Michelle screamed in despair.

Lord Byro looked stunned for a moment before he glared at the Fairy Tail mages. "I can assure you, our teachings are not mistaken!" he stated angrily. "How dare you even question the Archbishop; he is infallible!"

"That's not true!" Michelle argued. "Nobody's perfect; we all make mistakes. That's why we can't find world peace."

"I don't buy it! You're trying to play the hero, but I can tell you're up to something!" Natsu accused Byro. "You can't fool me! Someone's a jerk, either you or that Archbishop you keep talking about!" The Salamander continued to rant, which infuriated Byro even more.

"Such blasphemy! Kanaloa, attack!" Byro ordered, and the octopus swung its tentacle at the Fire Dragon Slayer, who managed to dodge it. "I have thoroughly explained the purpose of this holy war, yet you still insist on opposing us!"

"Honestly, I don't know if I believe all that stuff you said about the end of the world," Lucy admitted as she clenched her fist. "I just care about keeping my dad's memento safe! That's why we're gonna do our best to stop you from getting your hands on all of the clock pieces!"

"That's right!" Gohan agreed as he broke free of Kanaloa's tentacle. "We'll make sure the world doesn't come to an end!"

"Enough of your sinful drivel!" Byro shouted. The octopus attempted to grab the Demi Saiyan once again, but he swiftly avoided every strike before grabbing two of Kanaloa's tentacles. "I-Impossible, how can this be?!" Byro asked in shock. Gohan then smirked as he began to use his monster strength to lift Kanaloa and swing it around. Byro quickly jumped off as the Z Fighter tossed the octopus into the air.

"Natsu, you're up!" he called to the fire mage.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered as Happy picked him up.

"High speed!" Happy shouted as he flew toward the octopus.

" **Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"** The Son of Igneel set himself on fire as the Exceed let him go; he crashed into Kanaloa, sending it tumbling until it crashed.

Lord Byro stood on the sideline, watching his octopus get defeated. "Impressive, by working together to defeat Kanaloa, they can now focus on me," he said. "Apparently there's more to these Fairy Tail wizards than I originally thought."

"Now that just leaves you," Gohan said. "Your best option is to surrender so I won't have to hurt you."

"I'm afraid I cannot back down even now," Byro declined. "As we speak, members of your guild and the Legion Platoon are fighting over the scattered clock pieces. My followers will most likely triumph and bring them here. I'm prepared to do what it takes to get the remaining pieces from you and your friends!" Byro jumped down and stood in front of the Saiyan.

"Then you leave me no choice," Gohan declared as he prepared to attack.

"Hold on, Gohan!" Natsu said as he stood in front of Gohan. "I wanna fight this guy!"

"Are you sure, Natsu?" Gohan inquired.

The Dragon Slayer nodded. "Yeah, if this guy is on par with Gildarts, then beating him means I can take our guild's strongest member on!" he replied.

At first, Gohan wasn't sure if he should let this happen, but he remembered what his guildmates told him about letting them do things for themselves once in a while. Seeing the Salamander's eagerness to fight Byro reminded him of his father's love for fighting strong opponents, even if they were stronger than him. Gohan then stepped back and said, "Alright Natsu, he's all yours! But if it looks like you're in trouble, I'll step in!"

"Heh! Sure, and thanks!" Natsu exclaimed as he smirked at the Legion leader.

"You truly wish to battle me?" Byro questioned the fire mage. "Be warned, I'm prepared to do what it takes to defeat you!"

"Well, I'm prepared to beat your face in!" Natsu retorted, accepting the challenge. The two mages stared each other down as they prepared to fight. No one noticed Lucy's clock hand or the large clock piece glowing with the inscription warning.

* * *

In Zentopia, one of the ministers went to check on the Archbishop. He stepped into his room and was surprised to see his grace standing, rather than in his bed, and surrounded by numerous lit candlesticks. "What are you doing, Archbishop?" he asked with concern. "You shouldn't be up, sir."

"It's close, so very close," the Archbishop muttered as he moved the candles around. "Time ticks forward, on toward inevitable chaos!" He turned to face the minister, wearing a dark look on his face. "It won't be long before the end is upon us! Soon, very soon!" The Archbishop began laughing maniacally and the minister fell to his knees.

 **A/N: And that's that! I know it seems like I'm rushing it, but I just wanna get up to the part where the Neo Oracion Seis reveal themselves. Thank you all for your patience; it takes a long time for me to finish these chapters since I share my computer with my siblings, and my internet is limited so I have to wait till I get more before I can post chapters or check my status on Fanfiction. One more thing, I've seen my poll's results so far: Mira – 7 votes, Kagura – 6 votes, Ultear – 4 votes, and the Saiyan Harem is 3 votes. I also got a few reviews; thank you all for your opinions! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 13 –**

Natsu and Lord Byro took their stances as they readied themselves for their showdown, with the other Fairies and Coco watching from the sidelines. "Let's rumble!" Natsu proclaimed. Just then, the clock piece in Lucy's grasp began to glow, as did the giant one.

"The clock pieces," Byro muttered.

"They're resonating," Michelle noted.

* * *

In Zentopia, the Archbishop was kneeling on the floor, grasping his face in despair. "It's finally happening! Time is ticking forward!" he cried out. "The chaos… the everlasting midnight… it's coming!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Erza, Cana, Wendy, and Carla were on their way to where Natsu's group was when they noticed the giant clock piece Ezra was dragging with her luggage had started glowing. "Guys, look! The clock piece is glowing!" the Sky Dragon Slayer exclaimed as she pointed to the clock piece.

"What do you think that means?" Cana inquired.

"I don't know, but we should proceed to our destination," Erza suggested.

The girls all nodded and continued walking, when Carla abruptly noticed something coming toward them from the sky. "What's that?!" she shouted, getting everyone's attention. The Fairy girls looked up and saw the familiar red robot hovering above them before it descended to the ground.

"What the heck is that?" Cana questioned.

"I don't know," Erza answered as she Requipped a sword in case of a fight. "Who are you and what do you want?" she questioned it, but the robot didn't reply as it raised its hand and fired a green energy blast. Cana and Erza jumped to avoid it while Carla grabbed Wendy and flew upward. "Is everyone alright?!" Erza asked her guildmates after the blast hit the ground.

"We're fine," Cana replied.

"Look!" Wendy called out. The war machine started walking toward Erza's luggage; it grabbed the giant clock piece and lifted it up. "It wants the clock piece!"

"We can't let it take it!" Carla cried.

Taking action, Erza changed into her Black Wing Armor before charging at the machine. She swung her sword at it, but it simply grabbed the blade and shattered it and then backhanded Titania to the side. "I don't know what you are, but I will not let you take that clock piece!" she declared as she stood up and entered her Purgatory Armor. She swung her enormous mace at the machine's head, hitting it at the side, but it showed no sign of feeling any damage as it grabbed the mace and tossed Erza to the side.

"No way! This thing's toying with Erza like she's nothing!" Cana noted with shock.

"We have to help her!" Wendy cried.

"Use your head, child!" Carla reprimanded her. "If you step in now, you'll get in Erza's way!"

The red robot slowly walked toward the Fairy Queen, who was getting back to her feet. "I'm impressed, not many can take a hit from my Purgatory armor and shrug it off like it's nothing," Erza said. "However, I'm not backing down just yet! Now you'll taste all of my blades!" She then changed into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Now! Dance, my swords!" She summoned numerous blades and launched them all at the oppressor, yet the robot countered by thrusting his fists forward very rapidly, deflecting and shattering all of them. Erza stared in shock as the machine began to move closer to her; she crossed the two swords in her hands to defend herself. Before it made to her, it was struck in the back by many explosive objects. It turned around to see the brunette holding up a few cards in her hands while smiling. She threw more explosive cards at the war machine which combusted on contact, but the machine didn't seem fazed at all.

"Well, that didn't do much," Cana said despondently.

"Let me try," Wendy offered. **"Sky Dragon Roar!"** She let out her breath attack on the robot, but it simply held out its hand and the wind blast collided with it. When it ended, the robot clenched its hand and started walking toward them. "Erza, now!"

"Right!" Erza said as she Requipped her Lightning Empress Armor. She unleashed an electrical current from her spear at the robot, vaporizing it with over a thousand volts of lightning. The war machine threw its head back as it was electrocuted. When she finished attacking, the machine was smoking. "Did that do it?" she wondered. It remained unmoving for a moment before it lowered its head and cracked its neck. "This can't be! Nothing we've thrown at it has done any sort of damage!" Erza gasped. The robot then channeled Ki into its right fist and slammed it into the ground, creating a shockwave. Carla grabbed Wendy and flew her upward, evading the attack, but Erza and Cana were blown away by it. The two female mages lay on the ground in defeat.

"Oh no! Cana! Erza!" Wendy cried before she noticed the robot right in front of her; it swiped it hand, knocking both Dragon Slayer and Exceed out of the sky. They hit the ground and Carla fell unconscious. Wendy watched as the machine moved toward the clock piece once again. "No, the clock piece," she muttered weakly.

"Objective complete, 4th clock piece acquired!" the machine said before picking up the clock piece and flying away just as the Sky Maiden weakly stood and moved to attempt to heal the redhead.

* * *

Back at the tomb, the Dragon Slayer and the Legion leader were in a heated battle. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** Natsu called as he started off with his trademark breath attack, but before it could touch Byro, he waved his staff and the flames disappeared in an instant.

"He neutralized it," Lucy gasped.

"Magic is useless against him," Michelle noted.

The Dragon Slayer wasn't ready to back down, though. "That was just an ember, try stopping an inferno!" Natsu exclaimed. **"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** Natsu swung his arms, unleashing a massive fiery wave at the Zentopian warrior. But just as before, Byro dissolved the flames. Natsu continued his assault by throwing a punch at Byro, yet the older mage simply blocked his fist before kicking him in the gut. Natsu gasped in pain and Byro kicked him to the wall.

"Get away from him!" Lucy ordered as she brought out one of her gate keys. **"Open: Gate of the Sea Goat – Capricorn!"**

"It won't work!" Byro proclaimed as he used his staff to neutralize her magic. "My power nullifies all other forms of magic; you might as well surrender now!"

"Quit playing dirty, Octo-freak!" Romeo yelled.

"This Byro's way worse than the one we met in Edolas!" Happy remarked.

"You're really starting to get on my nerves!" Natsu screamed as he rushed at Byro with his fist on fire. The Octo geezer nullified his magic again and kicked him away. The Dragon Slayer landed on his feet and charged at his opponent once more; Byro countered by punching Natsu in the face twice and proceeded to pummel the pinkette continuously. Natsu's friends watched in horror as he was slammed into the ground by Byro. Gohan was twitching as his anger began to rise from watching his friend being beaten to a pulp.

Coco also had a look of disdain as she watched her leader brutally beat the fire mage. "This is barbaric," she muttered.

"Sorry sir, I overslept again!" Dan shouted as he suddenly awoke. "Oh, it was just a dream. A shame, because Titania and I were gonna try some one-on-one sparring," he said coyly while rubbing his head; he then turned his attention to the fight.

"Happy!" Natsu called for his partner.

"Aye, sir!" Happy complied as he grabbed him and flew off with him. Lord Byro effortlessly used his staff to nullify Happy's Aera Magic, causing the Dragon Slayer and the Exceed to crash into the ground. "My Aera Magic's gone."

"I figured it wouldn't work," Natsu admitted.

"You could've told me," the cat muttered.

"I already told you that I can nullify all types of magic," Byro repeated. "Pay attention if you wish to live! That boy who challenged me earlier is the only one who poses a threat to me!"

"Without magic, we're completely helpless," Michelle commented.

"There has to be something we can do!" Lucy said. "Gohan, you've got to help Natsu!"

"No! I can handle this myself, just watch me!" Natsu assured them.

"So what's your plan, Natsu?" Happy inquired.

"If I can't use magic, then I'll use force!" Natsu answered, confusing the Exceed. "Gildarts used magic when he fought him, but taking that approach got him nothing but a draw! I'll stop the Legion's plan and show up Gildarts at the same time! Yeah, I'm all fired up now!"

"At least he's got a positive attitude," Happy remarked.

" _I sense their energies, and Byro seems a lot stronger than when I fought him,"_ Gohan thought. _"Natsu can't use magic against him, so it makes sense to fight him in hand-to-hand combat, but I'm not sure if he stands a chance without his magic. It seems like nothing Natsu tries will work. This kinda reminds me of the hopeless situations my friends and I were in against our enemies."_

"The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance, yet you only care about personal affairs," Byro deduced.

"You got a problem with that?!" Natsu questioned.

"Such shortsightedness, you couldn't possibly understand the weight of the burden we carry," Byro said. "We're prepared to sacrifice our lives for this mission."

"You gonna fight or talk me to death?" Natsu growled impatiently.

"Don't avert your eyes, Coco," Dan spoke from where he and his comrade were watching. "He may be our enemy, but he's also got serious guts! The real battle is just beginning!"

As Natsu cracked his knuckles, a strange being peeked out from behind a dark corner; it watched the whole scene play out as no one noticed it. "So things are finally starting to heat up, huh?" it said with delight. "Good work, Salamander and friends! I hope you manage to get a little thrill out of this whole ultra hot battle before Lord Byro takes you down!" It laughed hysterically as it continued to watch.

Byro continued to beat up the Fire Dragon Slayer, though all who were watching remained oblivious to the glowing clock pieces once again. Natsu slammed his fist on the ground as he struggled to get back up. "So you and your buddies are prepared to sacrifice your lives for your mission, huh?" he asked Byro. "What a load of crap! Life ain't something you just toss aside like garbage, you should protect it! We fight for the lives of the people we call our friends!" The Salamander rose to his feet as he continued to preach to Byro. "The bonds we share are what drive us and push us to be better! Don't you know that friends aren't slaves or tools?! YOU CAN'T JUST USE THEM HOWEVER YOU PLEASE, THEY'RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT!" Natsu ignited his fists and charged at his opponent again; Byro nullified his fire, but Natsu kept on swinging. Byro blocked his punch and kicked him in the chin before knocking him away.

"It looks like he's already broken several bones," Dan murmured to Coco. "But you can't tell from looking at his face. That ain't the look of defeat he's wearing right now."

Romeo looked upset as he anxiously took a step toward the fight, but was stopped by the Demi Saiyan, who was also shaking with anticipation but refrained himself from intervening for Natsu's sake. "Listen, I want you guys to stay out of this," Natsu groaned as he stood up again. "I'm taking him down on my own! That's a promise from a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild! I'm gonna rearrange your face, Octo…" The Fire mage collapsed before he could attack.

"Come on, get up!" Romeo yelled.

"Poor Natsu can barely stand up," Happy commented. "But he'll find a way! Nothing's gonna keep him down!"

"Come on, Natsu, don't give up!" Gohan encouraged. "Keep fighting!"

"Get up," Lucy pleaded. "I know you can do it!"

"He's a worthy adversary, respect!" Dan praised Natsu as he was waving a fan.

"But Dan, I don't understand," Coco said. "How can someone as brave as he is be an enemy of Zentopia?" she asked her comrade as she watched Natsu's persistence.

"I'm not sure, but he's acting like one," the knight answered.

The Fire Dragon Slayer then jumped at Lord Byro, and the Zentopian warrior suddenly saw an image of a Fire Dragon appearing right behind the Son of Igneel. His hesitation allowed Salamander to punch him right in the face.

"Bull's-eye!" Happy cheered.

"That won't be enough," Dan stated.

Byro quickly recovered from the blow and stomped on the Dragon Slayer. "That strange sensation, looking upon you fills me with emotions I have long forgotten," Byro said as he crushed Natsu's skull under his foot. "Anger is at the front. You yammer on about the sanctity of life, about the nobility behind your own vendetta, but you are nothing more than guild rats chasing after coins! And you would compare your avails to our holy mission! This not only belittles us, but the Archbishop and his ideals he represents!"

"That's not true!" Lucy argued. "We're not in this for the money!"

"Yeah, cause we've got plenty!" Happy added defiantly.

"Enough to pay rent?" Byro asked knowingly, making Lucy gasp. "Or buy food?" This, of course, stunned Happy.

"What are you waiting for? Say something!" Michelle urged.

"Well, uh… I got nothing," Lucy confessed.

"I really didn't expect him to throw that out there," Happy stated.

"That's big talk coming from a thief!" Natsu groaned. "You guys are the ones who tried to steal Lucy's clock piece!" Byro then kicked him again, and he was sent tumbling into a wall.

"This world is already saturated with chaos; the addition of the Infinity Clock may not even be noticed. However, Zentopia's doctrine is to minimize the chaos, and instead, show the people of this world the righteous course of action. The privilege of putting those ideals into practice falls on the Legion Platoon!"

"Blah, blah, blah, add thou shall shut up to your ideals!" Natsu retorted as he swiftly stood back up.

"Natsu isn't hurt anymore," Michelle noted.

"How'd he do that?" Happy wondered.

"Look, that's how!" Romeo realized as he pointed to the Dragon Slayer, who was sucking the flames from multiple candles.

"The tomb's candles!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah, and there's tons of them!" Happy cried gleefully.

"You dare to desecrate these flames?!" Byro questioned furiously. "Does your blasphemy know no bounds?!"

"What, you're gonna start lecturing me about my diet now?" Natsu asked mockingly. "Don't bother; I already forgot most of the crap you were yammering on about!" Natsu smirked as he continued to goad the Legion leader and crack his knuckles. "I heard some of it, though, like friends, and lies! Then you insulted Fairy Tail, so now my fists are gonna lecture your face!"

"He's provoking him," Michelle said.

"As if the guy wasn't mad enough already," Lucy moaned.

"That's Natsu for ya!" Happy exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Romeo praised.

" _So Natsu can also consume fire to replenish his power, and thanks to that, he's able to continue fighting Byro for a while longer,"_ Gohan observed. _"However, his power is still nowhere near Byro's and now he's making him angry. Byro may just decide to stop toying with him and go for the kill. His best chance would be to stall long enough for the others to get here or to wear Byro down, but I'm not if Natsu can hold him off until then."_

Natsu then went back to fighting Byro, but even with his magic power restored, he was still no match for the warrior of Zentopia. "This is a holy war!" Byro declared as he knocked Natsu back to the ground. "The retrieval of the Infinity Clock, that sacred mission is the sole purpose of the Legion Platoon! The misguided principals of a feeble guild can't even compare! If consuming fire is also part of your magic, then I will neutralize it as well!"

"Oh, yeah? Just try it!" Natsu declared weakly.

"That's just cheating!" Romeo shouted.

"Why don't you fight him fair and square, old man!" Happy yelled.

"Or just give up!" Lucy suggested.

"I can't believe Lord Byro hasn't used a single offensive spell yet," Coco stated in disbelief.

"Don't act so surprised," Dan told her. "The man's strength is legendary! Only five others in all of Fiore can even challenge him, including that spiky-haired boy you like, but he's following the warrior code by allowing his friend to fight Byro until he's defeated."

"A weak and helpless fool like you isn't fit to lead this world out of darkness," Byro commented as he gestured for Natsu to come at him.

"What did you say?!" asked an enraged Natsu.

"A weak and helpless fool," Michelle muttered.

Byro then grabbed the pinkette by his scarf. "A coin-chasing rat couldn't possibly understand what we fight for!" He then slammed Natsu on the ground. "In this miserable world, people cling to anything that provides hope, and if that happens to be Zentopia, then cling to it they shall!" The Salamander got up again and continued his assault on Byro. "As do we, so if the Archbishop orders us to find the clock, then that's what we'll do!" As he spoke, Byro blocked all of Natsu's blows and countered with his own, beating him to the ground once again. "If that order requires us to sacrifice ourselves or others, then so be it! It's our duty; the greater good must be served!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Romeo said.

"I didn't understand what you said, but I know you're dead wrong!" Happy shouted.

"No kidding!" Lucy agreed. "Don't you care that people are suffering because of your mission?! Are you that heartless?!"

"You claim to be doing this for the greater good, but where's the good in causing pain and suffering just to follow a simpler order?!" Gohan questioned.

"It is foolish to act on emotion! It leads to nothing!" Byro said while his back was turned to the Dragon Slayer. "To reveal the course of righteousness and to walk its path." Natsu stood up again, but was quickly struck down by an elbow bash from Byro. "Thanks to these difficult decisions, we are forced to make sacrifices!" Byro went on as he brutally beat up Natsu again. "The world is filled to the brim with contradictions; I believe we are all painfully aware of that fact! Therefore, it is only logical that the path I've chosen will end in sacrifice!"

"Making difficult choices… that must be rather easy for you," Michelle commented to Byro, making everyone stare at Lucy's sister as she continued speaking. "You said you follow your cause to make choices instead listening to your emotions, but that's just a strategy to avoid feeling guilty. Harden your heart to suffering and you can justify any decision."

"Michelle," Lucy muttered in awe.

"You dare dispute the principals of righteousness to me?!" Byro demanded as he kicked Natsu over to his friends. Gohan reacted quickly by catching the Dragon Slayer.

"Stop it now! This is righteous?!" Happy questioned Byro as he held up his paw. "If you ask me, you're all just a bunch of bullies! This is just like what we saw in Edolas, those in power making everyone suffer and give up their freedom in the name of some fake righteousness! Any path that hurts the innocent will never lead to the greater good; in fact, it's nothing but a dead end! If you're willing to follow that path, then what does it say about you?!"

Coco eyes grew wider as she listened to the Exceed chastise Byro.

"Even fish are free to swim along any current that they choose, and the same goes for guild rats like us!" Happy spoke on. "We decided to use our magic to help people who need it! Yes, it's our job and we get paid for it, but in return, those we help get happiness! That's how we got to where we are; that's how a guild works! Fairy Tail will never lose to someone like you, because fake righteousness helps no one!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Byro said as he twitched in anger. "You dare to ridicule the followers … no, all of Zentopia to that extend?!" he asked the cat.

"You bet I do!" Happy replied bravely. "'Cause you should be ashamed!"

" _I didn't realize Happy was so wise,"_ the half Saiyan thought, impressed.

"Wow! Way to tell 'em, Happy!" Natsu complimented.

"That's right! Fairy Tail members listen to what's in our heart!" Lucy agreed.

"Our guild is about helping anybody who needs it!" Romeo stated.

Now beyond furious, Lord Byro raised his staff as he shouted, "Enough of this nonsense! It's time for your divine punishment!" His staff began to glow with immense light and a massive of magic power.

"That's what you think!" Romeo declared as he and Happy charged at the Zentopian warrior.

"Let's take him down!" Happy yelled.

" _Oh no, I'm sensing malice from Byro's energy!"_ Gohan thought. _"He's going too far; he plans to kill them now!"_

"Get back here!" Natsu ordered his friends. He and Lucy soon ran after them.

"Lord Byro, are you mad?!" Dan shouted to his leader. "You can't use Divine Arrow on people, you'll kill them!"

"I shall turn you to dust!" Byro proclaimed. "Now burn and be purified by the fire… of your own sins!" The light from his staff shifted into a large arrow and he aimed it at the Fairies. Gohan quickly phased in front of his friends and prepared to deflect the attack. Dan stared at Michelle in surprise as she remained unfazed at what was to be her friends' fate. **"Divine Arrow!"** Byro shouted as he thrust his staff forward, sending the attack at the Fairies, but it sailed right past them and crashed into the ruins.

"What the?!" Natsu shouted.

"He missed?!" Lucy gasped.

When the light faded, Coco's foot could be seen planted firmly against Byro's staff; a result of her kicking it enough to misdirect his attack. "Coco, what are you doing?!" Byro questioned the girl.

"Zero points, Lord Byro! Please, you have to stop!" she pleaded, surprising her leader. "All the suffering, all the chaos we've caused on our mission, that isn't what the Legion Platoon or Zentopia stands for! We should be protecting the weak; instead of breaking them down, we should be building them up and showing them the way! What's righteous about slaughtering our flock? Don't you see? It is hypocrisy, and I simply can't abide it any longer!"

"Blasphemy, how dare you turn our back on our doctrines?!" Byro yelled at her.

"I'm fully aware of the penalty for betraying the Legion Platoon, but I can no longer see the righteousness at the end of this path, sir!" Coco answered.

"Righteousness is like an arrow," Byro argued. "It pierces through all in an unwavering line to arrive at its target: truth! Are you telling me that teaching has been lost on you?!"

"If the arrow must pierce through the hearts of lost lambs in order to find what is right, then it's wrong, and it should be snapped in pieces!" Coco stated sadly, once again surprising her leader. "Lord Byro, I still believe we can do good, but I realize there's more to me than just doctrine. After seeing the way these people act, how they see the world, I can't help but be filled with warmth and happiness. And I'm sure if you opened your heart to them, you might feel the same way that I do." Coco smiled with joy to her leader, but he only trembled in more anger.

"Coco… You've been corrupted! You wretched traitor!" Byro shouted as his staff shined brightly again.

"No, Coco," Dan mumbled before he looked away, feeling conflicted.

"YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED A TRIBUNAL! THE ONLY THING THAT AWAITS YOU IS DEATH!" Byro roared as he raised his staff and prepared to kill the athlete.

"Coco!" Lucy cried as she ran to save the girl.

Coco looked back and smiled at the celestial mage. "Goodbye, Princess Lucy, I really wish we could've been friends," she said softly to the blonde teen before looking at the Demi Saiyan with tears in her eyes. "Thank you. Gohan, for showing me what it means to have a true friend, maybe we've could've been more…" The light consumed the athlete and exploded, and for a moment there was no sound at all. When the light faded, Coco was still on her knees, completely unharmed from Byro's attack. She looked up to see the Son of Goku standing in front of her with his hand out, which he used to deflect the blast.

"Somehow, you always seem to get in my way, boy!" Byro growled at the Saiyan.

"So is this how far your righteous arrow is prepared to go?!" Gohan demanded. "Are you so ready to pierce your allies as well as the innocent?! You believe what you're doing is righteousness, but in truth, you're just as wrong as you claim us to be! You said you don't listen to your emotions, yet it's your anger that's been deciding your actions! Me deflecting your attack was your arrow never making it to the end of it path!"

"I refuse to stand here and let another child ridicule my beliefs any longer!" Byro proclaimed while taking his stance.

Gohan took his own fighting position and glared at the Legion leader; he then sensed many life forces and smirked as he recognized them. _"Looks like the gang's all here!"_ he thought.

Byro raised an eyebrow at the look on the Z fighter's face. "What do you have to smile about, child?!" he asked sternly.

Before Gohan could answer, someone appeared right in front of him. "The chance to cross swords didn't present itself before, but at last we meet! Prepare for battle!" the redheaded mage declared.

"Titania!" Byro growled as he recognized the Queen of the Fairies.

"Do not speak my name!" Erza ordered "It disgusts me to hear it said by someone who would easily turn on their ally. You're despicable!"

"Erza!" Natsu and Lucy cheered.

"We're not in the habit of putting up with bullies like you, old man!" Gray called to Byro.

"Gray and Juvia!" Happy said as he spotted more of his friends before he became perplexed. "Wait, why's Lyon here?"

"Come on, is this old timer really giving you that much trouble, charcoal breath?!" Gray teased Natsu. "Talk about lame!"

"Hey, I'm playing around with him till I kick his butt, so keep yours out of it, frosty!" Natsu yelled back.

"Everyone's here!" Lucy exclaimed when she saw the Strauss siblings and Team Shadow Gear.

"Even Gajeel!" Natsu pointed out.

"Carla's group is here, too!" Happy noted. "They must've completed their missions!"

"That means after this last one, we'll be done!" Romeo said as he pointed to the one in the tomb.

"I'm afraid none of us were able to complete our missions," Erza corrected, surprising her guildmates. "But we can still make things right! Now stand aside, Byro! I'll only ask once!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, I've come too far to turn back now, Titania!" Byro refused. "The Infinity Clock was originally Zentopian property; destiny demands that the Legion Platoon watches over it!"

"What?" Coco inquired.

"Is that true?" Lucy asked Dan.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure," the knight confessed.

" _That explains why the clock piece was hidden in a place associated with Zentopia,"_ Gohan thought.

"You guild rats have become too involved in this; you've entered into a darkness the world should never know!" Byro declared. "Because of that, I cannot allow any of you to leave this tomb alive!"

"Enough! Prepare yourself!" Erza shouted as she Requipped to her Heaven's Wheel armor and launched an attack at the Zentopian warrior, while the ice mages shot their own ice attacks at Byro, as did the Rain Woman with her water magic. Pretty soon, Cana, Mira, Gajeel, Levy, and Wendy fired their own magical attacks at the Legion commander.

"Wait! Your attacks won't work!" Lucy tried to warn her friends, just before Natsu attacked with his magic. "What the heck are you doing?!"

The magic attacks from Fairy Tail surrounded Lord Byro, but he stood completely unwavering. "Such fools," he muttered as he waved his staff, and every attack that was thrown at him immediately faded from existence.

"What just happened?! Did he block all of them?!" Gray questioned.

"Even with our numbers!" a stunned Erza gasped.

"Magic attacks don't work on him!" Natsu told his friends as they stepped in front of him.

"This will be interesting," Erza remarked as she changed back into her regular armor.

"I think you mean annoying," Gray corrected.

"I know, right, now I'm just a lame old average talking cat!" Happy complained.

"One spell or one thousand, it makes no difference!" Byro stated. "In my presence, wizards cease to be wizards entirely!"

"There's still one option left," Erza suggested.

"If we can't use magic, we'll use our fists!" Gray said.

"How arrogant! I've been trained to fight bare-handed against fifty opponents at once; you won't even warm me up!"

"Sounds like Octo-geezer's fired up, too!" Natsu commented as he flexed his right arm.

"Stay focused, he's a very proficient fighter!" Erza warned.

"Sounds like a challenge!" Gray said eagerly.

Gohan then appeared in front of them and held out his hand to keep his guildmates back. "Stay back, guys, I'll take him!"

"Aw, come on, Gohan, we can handle this guy!" Natsu argued.

"You had your chance, Natsu, and you spent majority of the time getting beaten up while only landing one blow, and every time you got up you were knocked back down!" Gohan reminded him. "Your fight with him proves that someone at your level can't even compete with half his skill, and if what he claims is true, then I'm the only one who can take him!"

"Maybe he's right, this is our last chance to stop the gathering of the clock pieces!" Lucy agreed.

"Which reminds me, I figured there was someone else gathering the clock pieces, and the fact that none of you completed your missions confirms it," Gohan said before asking, "So, who was it?"

"Didn't catch his name, but it looked like some giant red man," Gray answered. "It was really big and had navy blue gems all over its body!"

"We were attacked by the same person!" Cana stated.

"So were we!" Lisanna gasped.

"Us too!" Jet and Droy exclaimed together.

"This thing that attacked us was incredibly strong!" Wendy said.

"Yeah, it shrugged off our attacks like nothing!" Elfman remembered.

"And get this, I don't think it can use magic! In fact, its attacks reminded me of your ability to use Ki, Gohan!" Levy revealed.

The Saiyan hybrid's eyes widened from the information he just heard. _"A red giant with blue gems on its body, and it can use Ki like me?!"_ he thought. " _No… it can't be… he's supposed to be dead!"_ His body started shaking as he was considering the possibility. Before anyone could say anything, the clock hand in Lucy's possession began to glow extremely bright.

The celestial mage then found herself inside some mindscape where she saw an image of her late father. The image then faded from her sight. _**"No, time has ticked! Now chaos has begun!"**_ a voice spoke to Lucy. Behind her was a small girl with worn out clothing, her eyes full of dread and sorrow. Lucy turned and was face-to-face with the sad girl before she faded away as well and Lucy was staring at her father's clock hand. _"No, is this the beginning of the end?"_ Lucy wondered in despair. The clock hand suddenly escaped Lucy's grasp as it unwrapped itself, and everyone watched as it levitated into the air along with the large clock piece in the tomb and the four other clock pieces that Fairy Tail lost that had mysteriously appeared.

"Big sis! Look, the clock!" Michelle exclaimed.

"I see it, but what's happening?" Lucy asked.

The six clock pieces came together and were consumed in a flash of light; everyone watched in awe as the clock pieces merged together within the light while releasing an extremely loud tocking noise, finally becoming the Infinity Clock.

* * *

On their way to the Magic Council, Hugo stopped walking and looked back. Chief Tyson, Lahar, and Jillian noticed this and turned to him. "Hugo, what's the matter?" the healer asked her comrade.

"Something feels… wrong," Hugo responded.

"What in tarnation are you talking about, boy?!" the Chief questioned.

"I'm just sensing something off," he said. "Let's keep moving." The three continued moving, but Hugo couldn't get rid of this feeling he had. _"What's this ominous magic power, and why do I feel like Dan is involved?"_

* * *

The Demi Saiyan covered his ears in pain from the ringing. The Infinity Clock's sound shook the whole tomb, and rocks were crumbling from the vibration. "My ears are pounding!" Gohan cried.

"Well, mine are bleeding!" Natsu screamed.

"That's some alarm clock!" Happy commented.

"The tomb is collapsing!" Erza shouted.

"It can't be, why now?!" Lucy asked.

"This ain't the time to space out! Let's scram!" Gray suggested.

Natsu looked up and took a few whiffs with his nose. "That smell… but how?" he muttered before his face turned serious. "Keep your guard up, we're in real hot water now!" he warned his guildmates.

" _That energy! There's no mistaking it… he's here!"_ Gohan thought as he looked up as well. Everyone looked up and saw seven figures step forward right under the Infinity clock. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Happy, and Carla stared in shock as they immediately recognized four of the seven intruders. Although the other six were a mystery to Gohan, he recognized the seventh being. His fists shook in anger as he gazed upon an old enemy, the red giant with navy blue gems on its body. "Hatchiyak!" Gohan growled.

 **A/N: Done! Now it's time for the real fun to begin! Can't wait to write the next chapter, so I'm doing it right away. Guess I'll have a lot to make up for making you guys wait so long, huh? Sorry, but I was just excited! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and will read the next one! Until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 14 – Old Enemies Return**

The Fairies and the Demons stared at each other, and Team Natsu stood in shock as they recognized their past enemies. "No way," Natsu muttered.

"It's the Oracion Seis!" Lucy gasped.

"That's not good!" Happy noted.

"I was hoping to never see these guys again, but here they are," Gray said.

"And it appears they have new members," Erza observed, "including the one who attacked us for the clock pieces."

"Ha, ha, ha!" Jackpot laughed while pushing his lever down. The three slots on his stomach started to spin until they each landed an icon that said six demons, getting three in a row. "Oh my goodness, hot, hot, hot! It's true you've met before but things have changed!" he declared as he gestured to his comrades. "May I present to you the new and improved Neo Oracion Seis!"

"Did he just say Neo Oracion Seis?!" Team Natsu exclaimed in shock.

"You seem surprised, a great deal has changed since the last time we met," the male mage who looked feminine spoke.

"I remember you!" Natsu said to the mage. "You're Midnight!"

"I no longer go by that name," the former Midnight declared. "From now on, I ask that you refer to me as Brain the second."

"I'll call you whatever I feel like!" Natsu shot back. "You wanna tell us what you're doing here?! I know you're up to something!"

"I have but one single wish: to make my father's dream a reality!" Brain II replied. "And that is to destroy all that is formed in this world!"

"I can't believe you're still spouting the same nonsense!" said Erza.

Midnight smirked at her. The six demons then raised their hands toward the Infinity Clock. "You've been very helpful. Thank you, but I'm afraid that we no longer require your services," he said to the Fairies and the Zentopians. The large clock started glowing green as it rang again, and on each piece, six seals suddenly appeared with the meaning six demons on it.

"What do we do, Lord Byro?" Dan asked his leader.

"Fight!" Byro commanded. "We have to stop them!"

"Yes sir, let's do it!" Dan exclaimed as he brought his shield up.

"Hey, Dan!" Gohan called to the knight. "You're gonna need this!" He tossed Habaraki to its rightful owner.

"Thanks, kid!" Dan said gratefully as he caught his weapon. "I'm all fired up now!"

"What do you think you're doing, buddy?! Don't you know that's my line?!" Natsu demanded indignantly.

"You stay out of this!" Dan ordered. The knight, the Fire Dragon Slayer, and the Legion leader all charged at the Neo Oracion Seis.

"Lousy insects! Look at how they swarm!" Brain II said. He raised his hand, creating a magic seal that gathered green magic energy. It turned into numerous green streams that flew toward the three wizards.

"I'm gonna bounce your attack right back at ya!" Dan declared as he held up his shield. Brain II's attack collided with Ricochet, but instead of flying back at the sender, the attacks came together into an orb and combusted. Dan's surprise lasted for a second before he was suddenly blasted backward.

"Oh no, Dan's shield has never failed him before!" Coco cried in shock.

"You stay back!" Byro told Natsu. "All manners of magic are ineffective against…" Before he could finish speaking, Midnight's attack struck. Natsu and Byro were surrounded by the mage's dark power and blown away.

"I thought the old guy could neutralize magic!" Gray said with confusion.

"So did I," Erza agreed.

"Not only did you destroy the range of Byro's magic, but you attacked him at the same time!" Jackpot praised his boss. "You're an absolute genius, lord Brain!"

"Do you sense anything, Carla?" Wendy asked her cat.

"An immense ominous magic power," Carla replied.

"You may not be aware of this, but once the Infinity Clock bears the seal of a wizard, it becomes their property," Midnight explained; he then vanished and reappeared on top of the giant clock. "You know what that means, don't you? Now that it bears our seal, the clock belongs to us!" The Infinity Clock then rang again.

"My, what a beautiful sound," the white haired mage called Angel remarked.

"That's not fair! You can't just show up and steal it for yourself!" Lucy yelled while jabbing her finger at the demons.

"I can hear it, your growing anger and confusion," the mage called Cobra spoke. "It's building up within you."

"Heh, ain't that a laugh," Racer chuckled.

"Unfortunately, we dark ones are forbidden from touching the Infinity Clock," Angel revealed. "Therefore, we had to have you assemble it for us. But when we learned that you planned to stop the gathering of the clock pieces, we allowed our newest member, Rancor, to retrieve them before you sealed them away." She gestured to the red robot as she spoke.

"However, he's incapable of using magic like we are," Midnight said. "So we decided to let the two sides fight for the clock piece and let Rancor crush the winners before snatching them for us."

Gohan clenched his fist. _"So, the Hatchiyak was the one who attacked the others and took the clock pieces,"_ he thought angrily. _"Why would he be a part of this, though?"_

"There you have it, folks, that's how you play the game!" Jackpot laughed.

"Curse you!" Byro yelled.

"So, we were being used. No way," Lucy deduced before turning to Michelle, who was wearing a sad look on her face. "Does this mean my father's job request was in vain…?" Brain II grinned at the blonde mage's despair.

"I'm getting shivers up my spine," Happy said. "These guys are super scary!"

"The magic power I'm sensing from them is incredible," Erza stated.

"Yeah, it's on a whole different level now," Gray agreed.

"Whatever, we can still take 'em!" Natsu assured as he punched his palm.

"We don't usually let anyone dance in the palm of our hands," Cobra said. "So you should feel honored that we chose you to do it."

"Quit your yapping and fight!" Natsu shouted. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** He let out his breath attack and aimed it at the Neo Oracion Seis, when the hooded wizard holding a scythe suddenly appeared in front of his comrades and formed a magic seal. The flames crashed into the seal and were dissipated instantly by a strong gust of wind.

"Whoa, he defused Natsu's fire attack!" Gray exclaimed.

"He used Wind Magic!" Wendy stated.

"Indeed. However, it is nothing as mild as mere wind," the mage spoke as the wind blew off his hood, revealing his bald head and empty eyes. "My magic is strong, like a brewing storm!"

"That guys seems really familiar to me, I think I recognize him from somewhere," Happy noted.

"Yeah, me too," Natsu agreed.

"Well of course you do, you fought him back when he was with Eisenwald!" Jackpot said as he pushed his lever and landed on a face of the same Wind Mage, except the pictures had hair, three times. "The gentleman before you is none other than Erigor!"

"These days I go by Grim Reaper," the man formerly known as Erigor said.

"That's Erigor?!" Natsu shouted.

"Not this guy again!" Gray complained.

"He's like a completely different person!" Erza gasped.

"Guess people can change after all," Happy said.

"Hope you're ready for round two, 'cause I'm gonna kick your butt, you old windbag!" the Salamander yelled at the wind mage.

"Come on, Brain, how long are we gonna waste our time with these idiots?!" Cobra questioned.

"Don't forget we have an important goal to achieve," Angel reminded him.

"I'm well aware. However, we have a score to settle with them," Midnight said. "They did humiliate us seven years ago, so now it's our turn. After all, we told Rancor to spare them so that we can have our fun with them! Cobra, Racer!"

"Yeah," the two mages said before they advanced.

Erza immediately requipped to her Robe of Yuen. "Alright boys, let's take them down!" she ordered her comrades.

"You got it!" Natsu and Gray agreed as they rushed forward with Erza. Racer landed on the ground and charged at them with great speed (at least in the Fairy Tail universe). The speed demon landed on all fours and bashed into the three mages, knocking them off their feet before they could attack; many cries of pain were heard from each wizard that was struck.

"So fast, I never even saw him hit them!" Happy gasped.

"Dammit! I couldn't get a hit in!" Gray growled.

"He seems so much stronger and faster than the last time we fought!" Erza noted. Racer then stopped for a second and struck both Juvia and Lyon down. "Is he using a slow spell?"

"No; I don't sense one, at least!" Gray responded.

"He's like a wild animal!" Erza said, observing the mage. "An untamed beast hunting its prey!"

"Well, well, if it isn't the Maiden of the Sky and her cat. It's been a while," a voice said from behind Wendy and Carla. The girls turned around and were face-to-face with the one-eyed Cobra. "What's the matter? You both don't look very happy to see me," the dark mage taunted as he gazed at them with an intimidating look. The former Cait Shelter members were frozen in fear at the sight of their old enemy. "What, do I frighten you?" Cobra mocked them. "You ain't seen nothing yet!" Cobra released a dark magic aura that overwhelmed the two Fairies.

"I can't move!" Carla cried.

"Me either! It's like I'm frozen in fear!" Wendy said.

"Quit messing with them, Cobra! Get over here and fight me!" Natsu shouted as he jumped at the Second Generation Dragon Slayer with a flaming fist. **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"**

"That voice of yours is annoying as ever!" Cobra growled. He then snapped his fingers, and the entire tomb was filled with an immense echo of Natsu's voice. The vibration decimated and incapacitated most of the Fairy Tail members.

"Hey, are you alright, Michelle?" Lucy asked her sister.

"I think so," she replied.

"What just happened?" Carla inquired.

"He turned Natsu's scream into some kind of weapon," Wendy answered.

Gohan flew into the air while covering his ears. _"It's like he amplified the sound volume of Natsu's voice and threw it back at us."_

"What's the matter, too scared to really fight?" Natsu tried to goad Cobra.

"I can hear it, the despair you're feeling right now," Cobra commented. "I'll use your own voice to destroy you!" the Poison Dragon Slayer promised the Fire Dragon Slayer.

The Legion Platoon weren't getting much of a break either, as Lord Byro was still injured from Brain II's attack. Dan brought out his weapon and stepped forward. "Coco, hurry and take Lord Byro to the escape route!" the knight instructed the girl.

"But I don't wanna leave you here!" Coco said worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, just save yourselves while you still can!" Dan urged them. "Would you look at how strong these guys are?! It's pretty clear how we'd fare against them!" As he spoke, Racer zoomed around the tomb, taking out more of the Fairy Tail members.

"Too slow," the speed demon chuckled.

Erza and Gray charged at the Grim Reaper, but were quickly blasted away by the force of his Wind Magic. "If you can't handle my gale force winds, then you're no match for my tornado!" Erigor said. To prove his point, he created a massive tornado that incapacitated both mages in an instant.

"Dan, you should come with us!" Byro suggested to his subordinate.

"I can't! Because there's something I still need to do!" Dan declared with determination. "As a knight, it's my duty, so I'm willing to put my life on the line!" He then stepped in front of the blonde mages and the blue Exceed while pointing his spear at the dark wizards. "Listen you, you're in possession of something that's not lawfully yours! You may be stronger than I am but I refuse to budge, not until it's returned to its rightful owner!" the knight declared.

"Dan," a surprised Lucy muttered.

"Who knew he could be so chivalrous?" Michelle inquired.

"Not me," Happy confessed.

"What a dimwit, doesn't he realize it's pointless?" Angel said while putting a hand to her face.

"Hey, did you hear what I just said?! Are you even listening… to me?" Dan suddenly stopped shouting as he gazed at the female mage's appearance. He then threw his weapons aside and cried out, "I FINALLY FOUND MY ROSSLYN, OH YEAH, BABY!"

"What does that mean?" the blondes and Happy questioned.

The knight then ran up to the white-haired beauty and held her hand. And what may I call you?" he asked her.

"The name's Angel, and I hate overly aggressive men," she answered simply.

"He sure falls in love fast," Michelle commented.

"Something tells me that he doesn't have a lot of experience," Happy said as he and the blondes sweatdropped.

"Lightning bolt bonus!" Jackpot announced. The giant mechanical bear pushed down his lever and Dan was immediately struck with lightning. The knight cried in pain before he fell to the ground, completely black and smoking.

"Her love makes me tingly all over," Dan muttered before he passed out.

"Um, I think that has more to do with _me_ electrocuting you!" Jackpot corrected.

Coco and Byro just stared at their comrade's humiliation and foolishness, looking very white with their mouths open.

"We're obviously far too strong for them," Angel remarked.

"You can say that again," Cobra agreed.

"Fairy Tail is weak," Erigor murmured. "Very weak."

"We should get going now," Brain II decided. "Angel, take care of them!"

"As you wish, Brain," she complied. "The cost is thirty." She placed her hands by her chest, and her palms emanated a bright light.

"You remember her, right? She's a celestial wizard!" Happy stated.

"Yeah, I remember how I beat last time!" Lucy said as she held out her whip.

Angel then held up her hand, revealing three gold coins floating in her palm. "Amazing how thing can change in seven years. I was but a child when we fought; now, I am quite literally an angel. Surely you don't think the spirits will defy me." She raised her hand, tossing the coins into the air as they shined brighter. "I'll show you the power and beauty of my Angel Magic; the very sight of it makes people collapse to their knees, lose all heart, and give away their lives!" The coins' light shined so bright they took the glow of a star, blinding those who gazed at it. "Come forth from the light, and in my name reveal your might!" A giant white being with wings appeared bathed in white light. It had three faces, its hair flowed in the wind, and it wore a white cloth around its skinny figure. "Oh angel of victory, Barakiel, I summon thee! Protect our seal and make this their tomb!" Angel commanded. Barakiel then unleashed an immense white light that filled the entire Zentopian tomb.

* * *

At the National Council Fiore Branch, word had reached the Council's ears. Many of the employees were talking about the appearance of the Oracion Seis along with two of the council members: Chairman Gran Dom and Master Org. "The Oracion Seis, that's impossible!" one of the attendants exclaimed.

"I was under the impression that they were all incarcerated," another frog said.

"We all were!" another exclaimed.

"Tell me, is there anyone else at the sight with the Seis?" Master Org inquired.

"Actually, the Fairy Tail guild is said to be there right now," a frog answered.

Gran Doma banged his staff on the ground in irritation, making the others jump. "Not that band of troublemakers again!" he growled.

"I know they used to be trouble, sir, but from what I understand, they haven't caused a single problem since their new master took over!" a frog said, hoping to ease Gran Doma.

"Yes, that's true. But their former master Makarov has returned," Org stated, making the frogs gasp.

"I'm well aware of that," Gran Doma said. "And of course he's brought all of the old problems back with him." Master Org then chuckled at his comment. "What is it, Org? What do you find so funny?"

"I'm simply amused because this is just what I expect from them," Org replied.

"Well, it's no laughing matter!" Gran Doma reprimanded.

"Sir, the Chief Marshalls of the Custody Enforcement Unit and the Indian Knight Trio are here to see you," a frog alerted the council members.

"Good, go ahead and send them in," Org instructed.

Moments later, the full Magic Council sat in their seats in the meeting room while Lahar, Chief Tyson and his students stood before them. "Chief Marshal Lahar of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit," Lahar greeted his superiors.

"Howdy ya'll, Chief Tyson of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit at yer service!" Tyson greeted. His followers bowed but remained silent.

"We've been expecting the both of you," Gran Doma said. "Now speak!"

"Yes sir, I'll start first!" Lahar responded. "I bring you important news!"

"I see, and judging from the troubled look you have, it has to do with the appearance of the Oracion Seis that showed up in the desert," Gran Doma suspected.

"Indeed, you have a truly keen eye, sir," Lahar remarked.

"So it's true?" Gran Doma inquired.

"Yes, though I'm ashamed to admit it, four members of the Oracion Seis – Midnight, Cobra, Angel, and Racer – escaped from our custody some time ago," Lahar explained. "But they weren't the only ones. Erigor from Eisenwald broke out as well, and he has since joined their ranks. It was a security breech like we've never seen. They've been replaced by dolls which I can assume were created by magic."

"First Erigor and now the six demons," Gran Doma murmured.

"Personification Magic," Org said. "But I thought casting spells was banned from within the prison walls."

"I suspect they had outside assistance," Lahar put in.

"Do you know if anyone came in contact with the Oracion Seis during their imprisonment?" Org inquired.

"There was one person in particular," Lahar answered. "A priest sent from the grand cathedral of Zentopia. I'm told he visited regularly to hear their confessions and facilitated atonement for their sins."

"Tell us more, who is this priest?" Gran Doma questioned.

"I don't know, sir. We could find no record of him," Lahar answered.

"But that's impossible! There may be no records of this priest, but there are numerous surveillance Lacrima scattered throughout the prison! Surely one of them would've picked up his image!" Gran Doma shouted.

"Apparently the prison surveillance Lacrima were recently replaced," Lahar reported. "Any that were active at the time of the visit were sent for disposal."

"We must retrieve those Lacrima! Track them down; we need to identify this man!" Gran Doma ordered.

"Perhaps we should consult with the officials of Zentopia," Org suggested.

"I'll make my way to the cathedral at once, sir," Lahar complied.

"This priest is the only lead we have right now, please do your best, Chief Marshal," Org told him.

"I will, sir," Lahar assured.

"Now, there is the matter of dealing with the Oracion Seis," Gran Doma spoke. "I believe that's why you've come here, Chief Tyson."

"Right you are, Doma!" Tyson replied, making the Council members snarl at him; although he was their subordinate, Tyson showed little respect to their authority. It was pretty clear to the Council that the Chief only did this job because he enjoyed taking out the lowly scum of Earthland. "Actually, I have a proposition ya'll want to consider."

"You have a request to make?" Org inquired. "What is it?"

"I hear that these six demon folk caused a bit of trouble in past, but they were taken down by them wizard guilds, including those fairies ya'll are so stingy about," Tyson said. "So, I reckon that the Council teams up with this Fairy Tail to stop those Oracion Seis!"

"Have you lost your mind, Chief Tyson?! You want us to ally ourselves with those despicable catastrophe casters?! The Magic Council would never stoop so low as to ask those troublemakers for help!" Gran Doma shouted. A few of the other Council members muttered in agreement to his words.

Hugo then stepped forward. "Please sir, hear us out on this one," he requested.

Gran Doma was about to deny him, but Org quickly said, "Very well, Lieutenant Hugo, please explain for us."

"Thank you, sir," Hugo said. "I know that Fairy Tail has caused countless problems for the Council in the past, but they've been quiet for about seven years till their missing members have returned. Plus, they have helped with many crises in the past, such as Eisenwald, Phantom Lord, and Jellal's Tower of Heaven. They even defeated two demons from the Book of Zeref: Lullaby and Deliora. Not to mention they took out the Oracion Seis seven years ago and another guild of the Baram Alliance, Grimoire Heart!"

"Yes, yes, so those pesky Fairies have proven to be useful despite their destructive reputation," Gran Doma said impatiently. "Get to the point!"

Hugo nodded. "I believe that since Fairy Tail has dealt with the Oracion Seis in the past, they would most likely know more about them than anyone, and if their battling them in the desert as we speak, then they might know something about what they're planning. It would be in the Council's best interest to gather all the intel we can on the six demons before facing them head on."

"Which is why teaming up with Fairy Tail is our best option," Jillian joined in. "They may be reckless ruffians, but they are strong wizards. Some are even S-Class level. They could prove useful to us again."

"You both do make excellent points, and with the Oracion Seis running loose, these are desperate time," Org admitted.

Everyone took Hugo and Jillian's words into consideration; Gran Doma was the only one not budging. "I don't like this," Gran Doma growled. "The Magic Council can barely control those delinquents, and now we have to bring ourselves to cooperate with them?!"

"Don't lose yer hat there, Doma," Tyson said as he placed his hands on his students' shoulders. "These youngins and I will be sure to keep them Fairies in their place. With our abilities, those hoodlums will be sure to remember who's in charge during our team up!"

"It's true, Gran Doma, Chief Tyson and his disciples are incredibly powerful even to a Wizard Saint, and their skills have allowed them to take down many dark guilds in the Baram Alliance in the past with little effort or resistance," Master Org stated. "If anyone can work with Fairy Tail and ensure they stay out of trouble for now, it's Chief Tyson and the Indian Knight Trio. I move that we grant his request."

All the other council members nodded in unison, agreeing with Org's confidence in Chief Tyson's reasoning; all eyes turned to Gran Doma, who was still silent. He finally scoffed and said, "Very well, you may form an alliance with Fairy Tail. But be sure to keep an eye on them and keep them under control!"

"You have my word as a knight, sir," Hugo assured. "We'll handle the situation."

"Ya'll just sit back and have yer tea, we'll take care of everything!" Tyson said before he left with his students and Lahar. As they stepped outside, they were greeted by Weinheidt. "Howdy boy, ya find yer target yet?" Tyson inquired.

"Yes sir, I know where he is," Weinheidt answered, strangely sounding disappointed. "Lahar, we should go right away; he seriously needs your help."

"Then let's not waste any time," Lahar said.

* * *

Back at the tomb…

"AAAHHH!" Barakiel cried as it was incinerated; everyone was surprised to see that they were all still alive and unharmed from Barakiel's attack. The last thing they remembered was Angel summoning the giant creature to attack them and it released this massive light show on them; then the next thing they knew, it spontaneously combusted right before their eyes. The female Oracion winced as she grasped her chest in pain. She stared in shock as ashes of her beloved Barakiel fell in the place where it recently stood. "This can't be, how could anything destroy my angels in an instant?!" she questioned. "Who could've done this?!"

"That would be me!" someone answered. All eyes were focused on the Demi Saiyan, who stood with his hand stretched out and smoking from firing the energy blast that vaporized Barakiel.

"A child?" Angel gasped. "A child was the one who destroyed an angel?!"

"I don't know who you guys are, but you're doing something wrong and you're hurting my friends!" Gohan declared. "So unless you want to end up like that angel, you'll back down now!"

"That's a bold statement there, brat," Cobra commented. "I can hear it, your anger and determination; you got some nice thoughts going on in your head there, kid."

" _Nice thoughts? What does he mean by that? Is he reading my mind?"_ the half Saiyan wondered.

"Something like that," Cobra replied to the kid's thoughts, surprising him. "Don't worry about it, 'cause you won't be around much longer."

"Indeed, it's time we finished our business here and continued our plans," Midnight said. "Racer!"

"With pleasure," the speed demon snarled as he landed on the ground in front of Gohan. Racer growled at the Son of Goku, but he stood his ground, showing no signs of intimidation as he gazed at the fastest Oracion, only curiosity.

" _He acts like an animal in hunting,"_ Gohan thought. _"Kinda reminds me of how Piccolo said I acted when my dad's space pod took control of me."_ Cobra raised a brow at that, not understanding that in the slightest. Gohan then crossed his arms as he waited for Racer to attack.

"Is Gohan actually gonna take on the Oracion Seis by himself?" Erza questioned.

"Looks like it," Gray answered.

"Do you think he stands a chance?" Wendy asked with concern.

"He seems pretty sure of himself," Lucy noted.

"Well, the kid defeated Laxus, so may be he knows what he's doing," Gajeel stated.

"I hope so," Michelle said.

"Come on, Gohan, show 'em what you got!" Natsu cheered.

Gohan glared at Racer, who was smirking wickedly. "Racer, huh? Judging by your name and how you took out my friends, I guess you're supposed to be pretty fast."

"Heh, that's right, kid," Racer chuckled. "You're looking at the fastest person in Earthland."

"Look, you may be faster than most of the wizards here, but in my eyes, you were moving pretty slow," Gohan said.

"Me? Moving slowly?!" Racer repeated indignantly. "Let's see how slow I am when you're lying on the ground in pain!" The speed demon zipped around the tomb as he charged at the Demi Saiyan, who still glared at him with his arms crossed. The next thing the Oracion Seis member knew, he was crouching behind the still standing Saiyan. Gohan simply glanced at Racer, clearly unimpressed.

"Is this what you call fast?" Gohan asked. "Because I saw your every move!"

"How dare you!" Racer growled before he charged at Gohan again. He rushed at the Saiyan's back, only to end up in front of him without inflicting any damage. Racer continued his assault, zooming everywhere he could to try find a blind spot to strike the Z Fighter, but no matter what he tried, he always seemed to end up missing him. _"What's going on? Why can't I seem to land a single hit on this kid?!"_ the predator thought. Everyone watching couldn't believe what they were seeing, or not seeing: Racer was jumping and dashing everywhere, stopping in different places, but to their eyes, Gohan wasn't moving at all.

"What the heck?" Natsu said in bewilderment.

"How is Gohan doing that?" Lucy inquired.

"It's like Racer completely missing him," Happy commented.

"He's not missing," Erza spoke, confusing everyone. "Racer isn't missing, Gohan's just moving faster than any of us can see!"

"What are you talking about?" Gray questioned.

"To us, it looks like Gohan isn't moving and Racer is missing him," Erza explained. "But every time Racer attacks, Gohan's cape moves, which means that he's actually dodging him while moving too fast for any of us to see!"

"Wow!" all of the Fairies exclaimed.

Racer gritted his fangs are he glared at the Demi Saiyan. "Is that really the speed that got you to be the fastest in Earthland?" Gohan scoffed. "Because I've fought faster foes." In response, Racer roared before rushing at the Son of Goku again; he tried clawing at the spiky-haired kid, but Gohan swiftly evaded every strike. "You should just give up, 'cause you're nowhere near as fast as the people I've fought," Gohan advised his enemy. "Let me show true speed!" In that instant, the Saiyan hybrid disappeared from sight. Everyone aside from Rancor started frantically looking around for the Saiyan, but they couldn't see him; they could only hear the sounds of something knocking rocks over in the tomb.

"Where's Gohan?" Wendy wondered.

"Did he seriously just turn invisible?" Lucy inquired.

"Awesome, I wanna do that!" Natsu exclaimed. "Who knows what kind of trouble I could get into?"

"Shut up, flame brain!" Gray said. "Can't you see that this is important?!"

"Both of you, be quiet!" Erza ordered.

Racer continued to search for the half Saiyan, but found no trace of him; he shifted from left to right, like prey awaiting to be attacked by the predator in hiding. Gohan suddenly appeared in front of him and shouted, "Boo!" startling the demon; Gohan then jabbed Racer three times, sending him flying into the tomb wall, where he fell unconscious. "How's that for fast?" the Demi Saiyan questioned rhetorically.

"Whoa!" Lucy said.

"Gohan just beat Racer like he was nothing!" Gray stated.

"Incredible," Erza muttered.

"Nice one, Gohan!" Natsu cheered.

The other members of the Oracion Seis stared at their fallen comrade before glancing at the Demi Saiyan. "This can't be… Racer lost a battle of speed," Midnight commented.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it," Angel said. "How did this boy do that?"

"The boy was moving at speeds faster than any of your eyes could track, which is why he appeared invisible," Rancor explained. "Then when he reappeared and startled comrade Racer, he used that moment to strike him three times, incapacitating him in an instant."

"So the kid's pretty fast, huh?" Cobra mused. "This seems like it could get interesting."

"Let's see what else this child can do," Brain II decided. "Jackpot, go!"

"Gladly, Lord Brain!" the mechanical bear said as it pushed down its lever; the three slots landed on a picture of three suns with evil smirks. "What a lucky boy you are, the first game we get to play will be a Devil's Flush!" In an instant, the Demi Saiyan was surrounded by fire; he crossed his arms, covering his face to protect himself.

"Gohan!" Wendy cried.

"We gotta help him!" Gray stated.

"Natsu, you need to eat the fire before Gohan's burned alive!" Lucy told him.

"Right!" Natsu complied.

"What's the matter, boy? Is the game to hard for you already, because we're just getting started!" Jackpot laughed.

Before Natsu could attempt to devour the flames, Gohan smirked and stretched out both his arms while letting out a mighty yell, and the Saiyan created a small kiai that instantly blew out the flames around him. He stood there smiling at his enemies without any burns on his body.

"No way," Natsu mumbled.

"He just dissipated the flames with ease," Erza stated.

"Look, his clothes aren't even singed!" Mira noted.

"Ha, ha, ha! That's the way, boy! Now it's time for some real fun!" Jackpot proclaimed while pushing down his lever again. This time, the slots landed on three lightning bolt icons. "You're really in for a treat now! It's a lightning bolt bonus!" A bolt of lightning shot down and struck the Saiyan, though when it stopped he flexed his shoulders as though he barely felt the attack. "What a hot pay off, someone who can last a while to play my games!" Jackpot cried with joy. "Well then, how about another lightning bolt bonus?!" A second lightning bolt descended onto the Saiyan, but this time, he raised his hand and deflected the lightning attack.

"That attack wasn't even close to kind of lightning Laxus threw at me when we fought!" Gohan remarked. "Let me show you a real lightning attack!" He then clapped his hands together and channeled Ki into them; his hands sparked with electricity before he focused them on Jackpot and shouted, **"Thunder Shock Surprise Attack!"** Numerous streams of electricity were sent flying at the mechanical bear, completely electrocuting it and putting it out of commission.

"Gohan just took out two of the Oracion Seis with ease," Happy observed.

"Just how strong is this child?!" Carla questioned.

"Stronger than he appears," Lily answered.

"I think I'll go for the guy with the scythe next," Gohan decided. Wasting no time, he then flew at the Grim Reaper, who reacted by creating a tornado attack. The Son of Goku flew through the wind attack and fired a Ki blast at the wind mage. Erigor created a magic seal to block the attack; the energy attack crashed into the seal and pushed against it. Erigor gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold up the seal, but it eventually shattered and the Ki blast exploded. Erigor was sent flying into the tomb wall, falling unconscious upon impact. "So, who's next?" Gohan asked as he glanced at the remaining demons.

"Kid's not half bad, he's already taken out half of our group," Cobra said.

"Indeed, it seems we've underestimated this child, he's clearly not as weak as we believed," Midnight agreed.

"This act of sin will not stand!" Angel announced as her hand started glowing again, but before she could do anything more, Brain II held up his hand to tell her to stop.

"Don't interfere, Angel. Cobra and I will take care of this child," Brain II decided.

"As you wish, Brain," Angel said obediently.

Cobra and Midnight then stepped down and glared at the Saiyan child. Gohan took a fighting position, taking the cautious approach. _"So they decided to take me seriously,"_ Gohan thought. _"Their energies are the highest among the group aside from the Hatchiyak's. And based on what I saw them do to Fairy Tail and the Legion Platoon, they've got a lot of tricks to compensate."_

"That's right, brat, and you'll get to see them real soon," Cobra said as he smirked.

" _Oh yeah, I forgot he could read minds, so he can probably read what I'm about to do next,"_ Gohan thought. _"Oh well, guess I'll just have to figure out what to do!"_ The half Saiyan charged at the two Oracion Seis members; he disappeared and reappeared behind them, intending to kick Cobra in the head. _"I'll take the snake guy out first!"_ he thought as he swung his leg; however, the dark mage quickly ducked his head, avoiding Gohan's attack.

"I can hear your movements, boy, remember?" Cobra snarled.

Midnight then reacted by aiming his hand at the Saiyan and shouting, **"Dark Rondo!"** firing a magic attack that blew Gohan backward, but he quickly regained his posture and landed on his feet.

" _So this Cobra can even pick out the moves I plan to use from my mind as well,"_ Gohan pondered. _"He's faster than I thought, as is his friend, so let's kick it up a notch!"_ Gohan's body suddenly sparked before he disappeared again.

"Stupid brat, I told you that I can hear your movements as you make them!" Cobra stated as he prepared to defend himself. "You plan to hit me with a straight pun-" He was interrupted when the Z Fighter socked him in his right cheek, sending him flying. "What the, what just happened?" he asked as he slowly got up. "I heard your movements, so how'd you still get me?"

"You may be able to read my mind, but I can move much faster than you, so all I had to do was slightly increase my speed," Gohan explained. "Your body can't react to my movements fast enough while you're picking them out from my mind!" Gohan then sensed something coming at him from behind him; he jumped into the air as Midnight's magic attack came flying at him. He then fired an energy blast at the feminine-looking mage, but was surprised when a magic circle appeared in front of him and his own attack came flying right back at him. Gohan crossed his arms, blocking the attack when it made contact with him. "Whoa, how he do that? He sent my attack back at me!"

"Gohan, be careful!" Erza warned him. "Midnight's magic allows him to reflect any attack that thrown at him!"

"So, this guy can reflect attacks. Add that to the other one's ability to read minds and they're a pretty good tag-team," Gohan mused. "Too bad they came against the wrong opponent!" Gohan then charged at Brain II with his right fist ready; he swung hard, thinking he would land a blow on his target, but his attack passed right through Midnight before he disappeared from Gohan's sight. "What the? Where'd he go?!" Gohan questioned as he looked around. He then looked up where he saw Midnight levitating with his hand aimed at him.

"It's over, **Dark Capriccio!** " Midnight shouted as numerous beams of dark magic came at the Saiyan. They all made impact, creating an explosion that covered the half-breed completely.

"Gohan!" the Fairies cried. They couldn't see him through the smoke, but then the Saiyan flew out of the dust wall, revealing himself to have been protected by a blue energy shield.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Gohan declared before he noticed Midnight's smirk. He then looked behind him and saw Cobra with his arms crossed. The dark mage swung his arms, now sporting crimson scales, at the Demi Saiyan, creating multiple crescent-shaped blades that were raining down on him. Gohan evaded most of them but one managed to graze his arm; since it didn't damage him at all, he took no notice of it. "These guys aren't bad, I'm actually having to sweat a little," he murmured.

"Give up, child, you're outmatched!" Brain II told him.

"No thanks, not when I'm about to end this fight!" Gohan responded, confusing everyone. Cobra and Midnight charged at the Saiyan to hit him with a double strike. Gohan stood still, only flickering as he made no attempt to move, and the dark mages' attacks suddenly passed right through the half Saiyan, which caught them by surprise before he disappeared. The two looked around until they saw the Demi Saiyan standing somewhere else. Gohan then smiled before he flicked again and split into ten different Gohans.

"Whoa, so many Gohans!" Happy exclaimed.

"How is he doing this?" Lucy wondered.

"Quit playing around with us!" Cobra ordered. "You may be able to cast many fakes, but I can still hear the thoughts of the real you!" Cobra then looked at his feminine-looking comrade and shouted, "Brain, he's behind you!" Gohan prepared to strike Brain II, but just as before, the blow passed through the mage before he disappeared. Midnight appeared behind him and tried to attack him with his magic; he was stunned when the Saiyan turned to face him and used his hand to release a kiai that blew Midnight into the side of the tomb.

"Your tricks won't work on me, I can still sense your life force!" Gohan said before facing Cobra. "Now there's just one more!" He then dashed at the dark wizard. Cobra quickly put up a wall of red poison to protect himself; Gohan's fist collided with the shield and he started to push through it. He eventually broke through the poison barrier and flew upward to hit Cobra, who took a deep breath.

" **Poison Dragon Roar!"** Cobra cried as he released a stream of venom at the Saiyan. Gohan flew right into the breath attack, powering through it, and socked the Poison Dragon Slayer in the right cheek, sending him into the ground where he fell unconscious. Gohan then landed on the ground and dusted himself off while his guildmates stared at him in awe.

"Did Gohan just…" Natsu started.

"Take out most of the Oracion Seis?!"Gray finished.

"He did, and with little effort!" Erza said.

"Incredible," Lucy commented.

"Awesome!" Romeo shouted.

"Wow! Gohan's amazing!" Wendy exclaimed.

"It seems that this child has bested our comrades," Angel stated as she looked at the red robot. "I didn't think he'd have to force us to resort to having you fight for us." The Son of Goku then looked toward Rancor, who was staring at him with his arms crossed. "He's going to be expecting you to face him now, so why don't you give the boy what he desires?"

Rancor's eyes glowed as he replied, "Gladly," and he descended to the ground to face the half Saiyan. Gohan glared at the fighting machine, who cracked its neck. "I must admit, I am truly surprised to see you here," Rancor spoke to him. "I didn't think I would encounter a Saiyan any time soon, especially one of the Saiyans that tried to kill me not too long ago."

"Well, you tried to kill me and my friends, Hatchiyak!" Gohan replied. "And I didn't think I'd see you again, either!"

"Well, here we are, and you're still as hardheaded as the rest of your kind," the machine said. "My name is now Rancor, to stand for the grudge I hold against you, your allies, and your people!"

"Still holding onto the past, huh?" Gohan teased. "What makes you think this grudge you have will help win this time?"

"Because this time, it's not just the grudge of your father's enemies or Raichi's fueling me," Rancor answered. "My grudge is against you and your allies for stopping me from completing my purpose, to avenge my people by eradicating the remaining Saiyans!"

"We stopped you from killing all the innocent people with that Destron Gas your creator released just to get us, Tufflebot!" Gohan shot back.

"That doesn't matter now, does it?" Rancor countered. "What matters is ending this war between the Saiyans and the Tuffles once and for all!"

Everyone watched as the exchange of words between the Demi Saiyan and the Hatchiyak went on. "Why is Gohan talking to that giant?" Natsu inquired. "Do they know each other?"

"It would appear that the Neo Oracion Seis is not just composed of our enemies, but an enemy of Gohan's as well," Erza deduced.

"He said they've fought before, trying to end the war between… the Sayings and the…?" Lucy started to say.

"I think he said Truffles!" Natsu said.

"Truffles sound tasty!" Happy added.

"Pretty sure you morons got that name wrong!" Gray berated them.

"I would like to try some Truffles!" Michelle said.

"I'm pretty sure he said Tuffles," Wendy corrected.

"What's a Tuffle?" Romeo wondered.

"It seems to me our new member has a lot to tell us when we get out of here," Carla said.

Rancor lowered his arms and asked, "Are you ready, Saiyan?" Instead of answering him, Gohan disappeared from his sight and sped all over the tomb; he grabbed every Fairy Tail member, Michelle, Lyon, Lord Byro, Coco, and Dan and moved them all to a safe distance inside the tomb.

"Whoa! How'd we all get here?!" Natsu questioned.

"I moved you guys," Gohan answered. "Stay here and you'll all be safe. Rancor won't care if you're caught in our crossfire."

"Gohan, do you know that thing?" Wendy asked.

Gohan nodded. "I have some unfinished business with him." He then took off his cape and tossed it to the side.

"Are you actually gonna fight that thing?!" Romeo asked.

"I have to, no one else but me stands a chance," Gohan said. He then saw the worried looks on the faces of his guildmates and gave them the Son family grin. "Don't worry about me, guys, I've got this. Just sit back and enjoy the show. And Natsu, looks like you'll get what you wished for."

"What's that?" Natsu inquired.

"You'll get to see me fight at full strength!" Gohan replied as he gave a thumbs up. He then flew back to where he left the Hatchiyak. He quickly flexed his shoulders before taking his demon style fighting stance. He glared at the Tuffle war machine for some time before raising an eyebrow at the smirk from the machine.

"You probably don't care for this, but I'm glad that you're here, Saiyan," Rancor admitted.

"You are?" Gohan questioned.

"Yes, it's boring wasting my powers on helpless wizards," Rancor explained. "Finally I get to use my full strength against a true fighter who is also a Saiyan, which makes the pleasure of killing you so much greater. So yes, I'm glad you're here."

"Well, the feeling's not mutual!" Gohan shouted. "You're just doing the same thing you did in the past! Hurting the innocent just to satisfy your grudge, but I'm gonna stop you this time!"

"Well then, what are you waiting for, Saiyan?!" Rancor asked. "Show me what you got!"

"Alright, here I come!" Gohan yelled. He stomped on the ground before charging at the Tufflebot; he threw a punch at it but his attack was countered by Rancor's forearm. The force from their collision created a small earthquake in the tomb. Rancor countered by throwing his own fist that Gohan dodged and the two fighters began trading punches and kicks. With every blow they threw, mini shockwaves were sent throughout the tomb. Gohan managed to get the first hit by punching Rancor in the face, but the Hatchiyak retaliated by hand chopping the half Saiyan.

Gohan then backflipped away and bounced off the rock wall; he flew at the war machine's head, kicking it hard. The Hatchiyak tried to punch the Saiyan but he grabbed the giant's fist and threw it before firing a Ki blast that knocked Rancor into the tomb wall. Gohan then stood in front of the rock pile that the red robot was buried in. The Hatchiyak suddenly burst out of the pile of rocks and threw his right fist at the Demi Saiyan. Gohan crossed his arms to block it, but was instantly socked in the face afterward by Rancor's left fist. Gohan winced, allowing the Tufflebot to hit him with multiple punches before knocking him into his own pile of rocks.

After a few minutes, the rocks began levitating, revealing the Saiyan emitting a white aura. Gohan then thrust his hand at the red robot, commanding the boulders to fly at his opponent, but Rancor simply released an energy wave that shattered the stones, and the two fighters resumed their battle. Hatchiyak tried to punch the Z Fighter but he ducked under the blow, jumped up, and kicked Rancor in the chin. The Hatchiyak backflipped and quickly elbow bashed the Son of Goku. Gohan quickly recovered from the blow and flew downward; he landed on the ground and fired a yellow beam of energy at the Tufflebot. "What a fool!" Rancor shouted as he prepared to block the attack. Suddenly, Gohan appeared at his right and came at it with his right foot out. Rancor held up his arm and blocked Gohan's kick, but the young Saiyan quickly jumped away and fired another energy blast at his enemy.

The two blasts collided with Rancor, consuming him in a large explosion. Gohan hovered above the smoke as he waited for his foe to reappear. He then looked up when he sensed something coming at him, which was Rancor descending on Gohan with his hands clamped together. He banged Gohan on the head, sending him plummeting to the ground. Gohan landed on all fours and rubbed his head. The Hatchiyak landed back on the ground as the Saiyan child stood back up. The two then disappeared and engaged in a speed combat. They bashed into each other as they flew through the air faster than anyone watching could see. Rancor threw a punch at Gohan but he deflected it and socked him in his right cheek. Rancor hesitated, giving Gohan the opportunity to hit it with an energy blast. The war machine was sent hurling to the tomb floor, where it was struck by another energy blast from Gohan. "Take this, **Gekiretsu Madan** **!** " Gohan cried as he fired numerous energy blasts at the Tufflebot. All the Fairies watch in astonishment as Gohan unleashed such firepower onto his enemy.

"What is this power?!" Erza questioned. "It's not like anything I've ever seen!"

"Man, and I thought Natsu was destructive, but this kind is relentless!" Gray remarked.

"That's some serious firepower Gohan's got!" Natsu stated.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"It's a little scary," Wendy confessed.

Gohan then held his hands over his head and created a Ki blast in between them. He held the blast above him for some time, putting more power into it before condensing it into energy ball. **"** **Masendan** **…ha!"** he shouted as he tossed the energy grenade at the spot where the Hatchiyak was last seen; it made contact and created a giant red explosion that blinded the wizards. When it passed, they saw Rancor lying flat on his face in the dirt. Gohan raised an eyebrow at this before the Hatchiyak suddenly stood up and launched two rocket fists at him "That's a new one!" Gohan commented as he dodged the fists. The fists swerved around and flew at Gohan again; the fists then separated and each one came at Gohan's left and right sides. The Son of Goku stretched out his hands and caught both fists. "Come on, is that the best you can do?!" Gohan challenged the war machine.

"No," Rancor replied as he appeared right in Gohan's face. His arms were shaped like cannons and started glowing with energy. Gohan's eyes widened as Rancor fired a point-blank energy blast at him. The Demi Saiyan was sent flying into through the air into the ceiling. When the smoke cleared, the Saiyan could be seen stuck to the rocky surface. Gohan glared at the Tufflebot before busting himself free. The two charged at each other again and continued their battle. The whole tomb shook from the force their duel was creating; eventually the two fighters fist bumped, creating a crater underneath their feet. They then backed away from each other, neither one showing any sign of damage or fatigue.

"Unbelievable," Gajeel breathed.

"I can see why Gohan wasn't afraid to take on Laxus," Levy mused.

"Heck yeah! Kid's like a stronger mini version of Natsu!" Cana commented.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it," Juvia admitted.

"This boy's abilities are beyond even a Wizard Saint," Lyon noted. _"Is Trunks on the same level as them?"_ he wondered.

"So this is the power of Ki," Erza said.

"It doesn't even look like either of them are short of breath," Gray observed.

"Kinda like that was just their version of a warm-up," Natsu agreed.

"Oh man, I haven't felt this nervous since I saw Natsu and Gajeel's fight," Lucy said.

"I wonder if Gohan can win this," Michelle muttered emotionlessly.

"Of course he can!" Happy said. "I hope…"

"Come on, Gohan, take that thing down!" Romeo cheered.

The Legion Platoon was just as surprised as Fairy Tail. "Lord Byro, could this be real? Do these guys really have this kind of power?" Dan asked.

"I'm beginning to ask that question myself," Byro responded. "I knew that this boy was powerful, but I didn't think he was capable of this! If he had this power the entire time, that means he could have used it to wipe the Legion Platoon out with little effort. And yet he didn't, why?"

"It's because he didn't want to," Coco answered. "He doesn't use his abilities to oppress the innocent or weak just to complete some mission. He fights to protect others; even now, he follows his own path of righteousness."

Rancor cracked his neck before saying to Gohan, "Impressive, Saiyan. You possess great skill in combat like your ancestral race. Which makes me want to kill you even more." His eyes glowed green as he took a fighting position. "Yes, I can feel it! The war between the Tuffles and the Saiyans will finally end! I will avenge my people! I hope you enjoy this fight, Saiyan child, 'cause it will be your last one!"

"I don't care about the war between our people!" Gohan proclaimed. "I'm going to stop you from helping the Neo Oracion Seis from destroying this world; you can count on it!"

"We'll see about that," Rancor said.

"I have to say I'm amazed," Angel admitted as her comrades regained consciousness. "The power these two wield is truly spectacular."

"Look at that, folks, this fight's sure to be one of the greatest in Earthland history and we get to see it front row seat! What a payoff!" Jackpot laughed.

"I can hear their anxiety," Cobra said. "They're ready to get serious. The real fight's about to start."

The Infinity Clock rang, catching the demon's attention. "Although I would prefer that we left immediately so that we can continue our mission, I can't go without knowing the outcome of this fight," Midnight decided. "Besides, I'd like to see the true strength that comes from Rancor's grudge, so we'll stay to watch for now."

"Why don't you transform, Saiyan, so we can get to the real fight?" Rancor requested.

"Be careful what you wish for, Tufflebot," Gohan warned. "I've improved beyond the child you fought in the past; you might not last very long."

"How sad. It's just like a Saiyan to boast about their power with such pride," Rancor sighed. "If you wish to destroy me, child, then you'd better come at me with everything you've got!"

"Fine, then I'll grant your wish!" Gohan shouted. His vision started getting a little blurry, but he shook his head and glared at the Hatchiyak. "Alright! You wanted the Super Saiyan, well here he comes!" Gohan crossed his arms before releasing a fiery gold aura. His muscles expanded slightly and his hair went from black to gold. He then lowered his arms and smirked at Dr. Raichi's creation. "Are you ready?"

 **A/N: Done! Now to move onto the next chapter! Even** _ **I**_ **can't wait for it to come out, and this is my fanfiction! I'm grateful for the reviews, but I'm sorry to say that I've read some of them rather late since I didn't get internet for some time. So, some of you might or might not see something you asked about, but you just gotta roll with and keep reading. Gotta go, I still have more chapters to write for this story and the others I have! Until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update sooner, but I'm here now; your favorite AntiHero is back again! Now it's time to get on with the story, and time for Gohan and Rancor to continue their battle and for us to see the outcome! Some of you may have already guessed what's gonna happen, and you may be right. But enough talk, it's time to get on with this awesome chapter!**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 15 –**

The Fairy Tail wizards stared at their new member with looks of awe; none of them seemed to comprehend what this transformation Gohan had entered was. His hair was even spikier than before along with being a different color, his body had expanded a bit, and he was emitting a gold fiery-like aura. Gohan glanced back at his guildmates, allowing them to get a glimpse of his eyes, having lost their shade of black for a teal coloring.

"Whoa, am I seeing things?" Natsu inquired.

"No, I'm seeing it, too," Gray confirmed.

"Gohan's turned into a blond!" Happy exclaimed.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Lucy said. "What's he doing?"

"It seems that Gohan has some sort of amplification form," Erza speculated.

"Well he certainly looks stronger," Gajeel noted.

"Do you feel it, the amount of force he's releasing?" Lily asked.

Yes, it's incredible… and at the same time, terrifying," Carla said.

"Gohan looks like he's on fire!" Romeo stated.

"He's glowing, he's actually glowing!" Michelle squealed.

Rancor smirked at the appearance of the golden warrior. "So, the Super Saiyan finally decided to show himself," he said. "Well, I'd say it's only fitting for you to be in this form. This is the way I remember you and your Saiyan allies best when you defeated me… and so, this is the way I want you to be when I end your life!" Gohan didn't respond, at least not with words; he dashed toward the Tufflebot and struck it in the gut. Rancor spat out blood/oil just before Gohan elbow bashed him away, sped behind him to kick him upward, then phased above him and kicked him back into the ground. The Hatchiyak's impact made a crater in the ground. Gohan landed in front of the hole and placed out his hands, firing numerous energy blasts into the hole before stopping to wait. The wizards stared at the half Saiyan in astonishment.

"Did anyone see what just happened?" Cana questioned.

"Can't say that I did," Mira replied.

"It was so fast," Juvia noted. "One second the two were standing, and the next Gohan's firing attacks in the crater."

"It's clear that your friend's shiny new form has boosted his power," Lyon remarked.

"Does this mean he can beat that guy now?" Gray wondered.

"I think we're about to find that out," Erza answered.

"Lord Byro, what do you make of this?" Dan asked.

"I'm not sure," Byro replied. "The power that boy's emitting feels so strange to me, it's almost… divine."

Coco and Wendy stared at the Demi Saiyan, looking completely hypnotized by his new form. _"Wow! Gohan looks so…"_ they thought with hearts in their eyes.

"Uh, Coco?" Dan spoke to the athlete, before he recognized the look on her face. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you've been struck by love's arrow, too!"

"What's wrong with you, child? Snap out of it!" Carla shouted, waving her paw in front of Wendy's face.

The Oracion Seis had expressions of interest on their faces from watching the Son of Goku pound Rancor into the ground. "Well, who would've thought that this boy had such astounding power," Midnight commented.

"Indeed, I'm kind of jealous," Angel admitted. "This is the kind of power that should be wielded by a real angel."

"I guess we're in for quite a show, huh?" Cobra said.

Gohan waited patiently for the Tufflebot to emerge from the ground so that they could fight again while wearing an emotionless look. "Why hasn't that thing come back up yet?" Gray questioned.

"Did Gohan defeat it already?" Lucy mused.

"I doubt it, and Gohan doesn't seem to think it's over yet," Erza noted.

"Thing's probably too scared to come back and take another beating!" Natsu stated.

The ground suddenly burst open as Rancor jumped out from behind Gohan. The red robot threw a fist at the Demi Saiyan, who quickly blocked it with his arm. The two warriors began exchanging blows; Rancor ended it by punching Gohan in the gut and kicking him away before hitting him with an energy blast. Gohan shook it off and charged at the war machine, but Rancor dodged his assault and elbow bashed the Super Saiyan. Gohan backflipped and landed on his feet, just as the Tufflebot appeared behind him. Rancor prepared to punch the Z Fighter but was struck in the chin by a kick instead. Rancor growled and ran toward the Son of Goku, who charged back at him. Their fists collided, causing the whole room to quake and rocks to fall all around. The two fighters glared at each other before they backed away.

"Impressive, Saiyan, you've gotten stronger since the last time we've fought," the Hatchiyak said. "You're at a level where you can match my strength on your own."

"And you're still as tough as you were back then," Gohan stated. "It's strange, but I'm actually glad I get to test my power against yours in a one-on-one match!"

"I'm not surprised. Saiyans seem to enjoy the challenge," Rancor scoffed as he took his stance. "But I'll show you that I'm the kind of challenge Saiyans should back down from!"

Gohan retook his demon stance while keeping the smile on his face. Rancor then rushed at the Saiyan; Gohan attempted to punch the robot, but he dodged the blow, appeared behind Gohan, and elbow bashed him. Gohan quickly countered with a kick to the face. Rancor then punched the young fighter in the right cheek and he retaliated by skull bashing the machine. The two continuously pummeled each other. With every blow they landed, parts of the Zentopian tomb crumbled from the force their attacks created. The Saiyan and the Tuffle then grabbed each other's hands and started yelling; their energies mixed as they pushed against each other. Their battle of strength shook the battlefield so furiously that the place started raining rocks at a fast rate while the two of them sank lower into the ground. The Fairies and the Legion Platoon had to use their spells to avoid being crushed.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** Natsu shouted as he smashed a large rock. "Man, these guys don't mess around!"

" **Ice Make: Cannon!** No kidding, feels like this whole place could collapse on us!" Gray agreed as he destroyed another rock.

"Hey! Don't you guys think you should take it easy before you bury us all?!" Lucy screamed while using her whip to protect herself and Michelle.

"Not a good idea for our boy to pull his punches, Blondie! **Iron Dragon Club!** " Gajeel said.

Pantherlily smashed a rock with his sword before saying, "If Gohan begins to hold back for our safety, then he won't be able to defeat the enemy!"

Erza summoned a giant sword and used it to shatter a large stone. "We mustn't distract our comrade. We'll just have to protect ourselves from the debris so that Gohan can fight at full strength without worrying about us!" she said before striking another rock. The Fairies all nodded and began using their magic to protect each other, as did Dan and Lord Byro.

As they struggled, Gohan glanced at his guildmates, giving the Hatchiyak the opportunity to strike; he kicked Gohan in the gut, making him let go, before backing away. The Saiyan glared at the war machine but then noticed that his chest gem was glowing green. Rancor fired a green beam at the half-breed, sending him flying. Gohan backflipped and fired a Ki blast at the wall, propelling himself back at the Tufflebot; he then stretched his legs at his opponent, who raised his arms to block the assault, and hit him with strong kick before rapidly stomping at his arms. The multiple leg barrage began to slowly push Rancor back until Gohan ended it with a kick to the chin. Rancor roared at the Saiyan while channeling sparks of electricity around his body. In an instant, he dashed right at Gohan and struck him hard in the gut; the Z Fighter gasped in pain before returning the attack to the Tufflebot.

Rancor cringed before punching Gohan again. The warriors continued to sock each other in their abdomens before eventually kicking each other away. The two jumped into the air, where Rancor fired a blast at the Saiyan; he sent it back at the Tufflebot, who swatted it aside. The fighters resumed their exchange of blows before Rancor kicked Gohan, sending him plummeting toward the earth. Gohan fired an energy blast that shot the Hatchiyak back to the ground. "Not bad for a monkey, especially for a primitive beast like yourself!" Rancor taunted mockingly.

"Your tricks aren't gonna work on me! I've already had to deal with insults like that from Frieza!" Gohan retorted.

"Oh, are you saying that being called a monkey doesn't infuriate you?" the machine asked.

"Of course it does! But I know how to channel that anger!" Gohan admitted as his fists began to glow with Ki. "And believe me when I say you're going to feel that anger when I'm pounding you into the ground!"

"Is that so? Well then, let's see if you can get to me first. And when I'm beating you into the ground, it'll be with the anger I feel against your kind!" Rancor shouted.

"Before we proceed, I want to know something," Gohan said. "Why are you doing this? I know for a fact that you don't care about humanity any more than Dr. Raichi did, so why are you working alongside these people instead of just using your own power to destroy everything?"

Rancor clenched his fist in anger before replying, "If you want to know the answer, then you'll have to beat it out of me, Saiyan!" He then opened his hand and aimed it at the Saiyan. "That is, if you live long enough to do that!" The Tufflebot fired an energy blast at Gohan; he easily avoided it and Rancor fired a second blast. Gohan dodged that one, too, but was almost hit by the third blast the machine fired. The explosion sent the Demi Saiyan flying, and he landed on his back just as Rancor fired another blast at him. The Z Fighter rolled on the ground to evade the attack before jumping back to his feet. Rancor continued to fire Ki blasts at the Saiyan, who backflipped to avoid every blast before he began flying around the tomb. Gohan glanced back to see the barrage of blasts gaining on him; he then looked forward and saw that he was headed right to where he left his friends. The Son of Goku quickly turned around and fired his own energy attacks to cancel out Rancor's. The collision of blasts created a smokescreen and Gohan flew into it to find the Hatchiyak. When he didn't see the machine, he blew the smoke away with a kiai. He then sensed something above him and looked up.

The Tufflebot brought down his fists onto the half Saiyan, knocking him into the ground. He then fired an energy blast at his enemy; it hit its target and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Gohan was seen inside a golden dome that shielded him from the attack. Rancor descended onto the Saiyan hybrid and started rapidly punching Gohan's shield. Gohan smirked as he raised his hands; the transparent gold dome started shining brightly as it condensed itself and was launched at the war machine like a giant energy ball. It pushed Rancor into the ceiling before it blew up, causing many rocks to crumble and fall. Gohan got back on his feet and saw the Hatchiyak with its arms crossed. Gohan then placed his right foot on his left foot while bending his knees and yelled, **"Masenko…ha!"** His feet suddenly released a powerful demon flash attack, which sent him flying toward the Tufflebot like a rocket. He struck Rancor in the gut, making it wince for a second before it grabbed him and slammed him into the ceiling. It then opened its mouth and fired a green energy beam at the Saiyan; acting on instinct, Gohan fired a golden beam from his hands to counter Rancor's.

"What kind of battle is this turning into?!" Lily questioned.

"Their collision is releasing such a devastating force," Carla said in awe. "It looks like this fight could go either way!"

"I hope Gohan can win this," Wendy said anxiously.

The two blasts continued to push against each other until they canceled out in a large explosion, pushing both the Saiyan and the Tuffle away. Rancor glared at Gohan before charging at him in full fury. He punched Gohan in his right cheek; elbow bashed his head, and kicked him away. Gohan managed to stop himself in mid air just as Rancor appeared in front of him with his right hand infused with Ki. "DIE, SAIYAN!" the Tufflebot cried as he thrust his right hand at Gohan, intending to hit him with a strong energy blast. The Demi Saiyan covered his face with his arms to shield himself, but after a few seconds of waiting, Gohan noticed that he felt no pain as though nothing happened to him. He moved his arms to see Rancor still aiming his right hand at him like he wanted to fire the blast, but was unable to do so. The petrified machine's body twitched as it glared at the confused Saiyan.

The wizards watching expressed bewilderment and curiosity at the situation before their eyes. "Uh, wasn't something supposed to happen?" Salamander inquired.

"Why'd it stop?" Gray asked.

"Could it have run out of power or something?" Titania suggested.

"Who cares why?!" Lucy shouted. "Now Gohan can take him out!"

Gohan stared at the war machine with great confusion, his warrior pride refusing to allow him to attack his opponent until he knew why it had halted its assault.

"Hey, look! There's something on its chest!" Levy noticed as she pointed at the Hatchiyak. Resting on the Tufflebot's chest gem were six glowing green numbers that made up a magic seal.

"Is that a… magic seal?" Lisanna questioned.

"It looks just like the one on the Infinity Clock!" Mira said.

"I remember seeing that same seal when it was about to kill me," Juvia recalled.

"So that seal must bind him to the will of the Oracion Seis," Lyon mused. "But why would it activate now?"

"Hey Gohan, take a look behind you!" Romeo called to the half Saiyan.

Gohan glanced back and saw that he was in front of something, and that something was the Infinity Clock. The Z Fighter glanced at the seal on Rancor's chest before looking back at the clock. Thanks to his Saiyan hearing, he was aware that the Hatchiyak was a slave to the six demons, and now he knew that the machine could not attack him if it meant destroying the Infinity Clock, which his masters clearly did not approve of. The dark mages all shared a look of aggravation when their robotic comrade's weakness became exposed.

"It appears Rancor's weakness has been found out," Angel stated. "That is most unfortunate."

"Kid's probably going to use that weakness to defeat him now," Racer said. "Should we drop the seal on him?"

"Don't be absurd, letting Rancor cut loose would mean the end of our plans and our lives," Midnight answered. "If we want to succeed, then we have to use the necessary precautions. Right now, it may be best if we retreat while we still have the clock and Rancor as our tools."

"Heh, I wouldn't worry about losing to these brats yet," Cobra chuckled. "Whatever the kid's thinking about, it ain't what you'd expect."

Neither fighter moved an inch to break that pause in their battle. "So, all Gohan has to do to win is to stay by the Infinity Clock?" Wendy asked.

"It would be the best action to take!" Carla said.

"Looks like Gohan's got this one in the bag!" Happy cheered.

Gohan's fists were shaking; logic told him to use the Hatchiyak's inability to attack as his chance to strike it with everything he's got. He looked at his opponent, who was still immobilized, before glancing at the Infinity Clock again. Gohan then closed his eyes as he thought, _"No, not like this."_ He then flew over the Tufflebot and landed back on the ground behind it, causing Rancor to turn and look at the Demi Saiyan in confusion. Gohan raised an eyebrow before asking, "Well, are you gonna stay there all day or are we gonna finish this fight?!" Rancor faced the Saiyan and descended to the ground before him.

"You're just as arrogant and foolish as any other Saiyan!" Rancor stated. "You deliberately refused to use the clock to defeat me, why?!"

"I didn't spend most of my life training to be the warrior I am today just so that I could beat my opponents with a ridiculous magic clock as a handicap!" Gohan responded. "If I'm going to fight you, I'll do it with honor! I'll beat you with the power I have within me!"

"Your Saiyan pride will be your downfall!" Rancor said. "Your kind was never capable of making intelligent decisions, and always relied on your brute force to get through life. The only thing that will lead to is the end of your life of battle."

"Well then, bring it on!" Gohan challenged Rancor. "At least now it's a fair fight!"

"What is Gohan thinking?!" Lucy demanded.

"Why'd he give up his advantage?" Wendy wondered.

"What a fool! This battle is supposed to determine the fate of the world, and he chooses to let his arrogance guide his actions!" Byro said harshly.

"No, Lord Byro, it's not cockiness, its honor!" Dan corrected. "This boy's acting like a true warrior, one who refuses to use an unfair advantage to win a battle. It's a truly admirable quality!" Hearing Dan's explanation, everyone understood why the Son of Goku would choose to fight against the Hatchiyak fairly.

"I hope Gohan knows what he's doing," Romeo said.

Gohan cracked his neck before spitting out a drop of blood. "Well, are you ready to continue?" he asked his foe.

"To destroy a Saiyan? I am always ready, but it seems you are not," Rancor answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Gohan inquired.

"Do you take me for a fool, Saiyan? I know you're suppressing your true power," Rancor stated, surprising Gohan. "I can sense you're holding back, and if you want any chance at defeating me, you'd better unleash that hidden potential. Because if you don't, you won't be the only one who dies!"

Blood slid down Gohan's forehead and lip as he glanced at his friends. He then looked back at the machine and said, "I didn't go all out because I'm not used to this form yet; it's still pretty new to me. But I know what you're capable of; I've had a taste of your power. So if you want me to go full throttle, then I'll oblige! Just don't get too discouraged!" Gohan then threw his head back as he yelled at the top of his lungs, and his body exploded in a gold light as the ground beneath him cracked. When he calmed down, his body had expanded slightly again, all of his gold hair stood up except for a single strand hanging across his face, and his body started emitting electricity mixed with his fiery golden aura. "What you recently fought was the Super Saiyan! Now you'll face the _Super_ Super Saiyan!"

The mages were staring at the Demi Saiyan in awe as they tried to make sense of this new form. "Um, does Gohan look a bit different?" Natsu asked.

"Aye! His hairstyle changed again!" Happy observed.

"He's also got lightning on his body, kinda like Natsu did when we fought Master Hades," Gray noted.

"It's more than that; Gohan's expression is so serious!" Erza pointed out. "It's like the timid, kindhearted child has been replaced by a ruthless warrior!"

"But that's good, right?!" asked a nervous Lucy. "That means he'll win for sure." No one gave the celestial mage an answer as they all anxiously waited to see the outcome of the fight.

"Your new form doesn't show much change, Saiyan!" Rancor taunted. "You still look like a monkey to me!"

"It's not the appearance that matters!" Gohan said. "It's the increase in power, and let me tell you, it's a huge increase!" Gohan then disappeared and started running around the Hatchiyak before stopping in front of him. "See what I mean?"

Rancor showed no emotion. "I'll admit, your power has boosted greatly, but I could still track your every move! This Secondary Super Saiyan form won't be enough to defeat me!" he declared.

"Then what are you waiting for?! Let's get back to fighting!" Gohan said as he took his demon stance. He then charged at Rancor; the machine swung its fist at him, but the half Saiyan disappeared again to avoid the attack. Rancor looked up to see the Son of Goku looking down on him; he then jumped at the Saiyan to strike him. Gohan tried to kick the Tufflebot but it vanished from his sight. Gohan spotted Rancor at his right and flew straight at him. The two started trading blows again, causing the whole tomb to tremor from their collision. "They're at it again!" the Fairies cried. They sped all around the tomb while pounding each other repeatedly. _"Something's wrong. He was much stronger than this when we first fought,"_ Gohan thought. He then punched Rancor in the face, who retaliated by striking him in the gut. Gohan kicked him and the machine elbow bashed him back. The two then separated and Gohan asked, "What's up with you? Why is your power significantly weaker than it should be?!"

"My power is as great as when we first fought Saiyan!" Rancor replied. "Let me show you!" His body started channeling electricity while the gems on his body started glowing green. During this, Gohan noticed the magic seal appearing on his chest again.

" _Weird, his power's not increasing, and that seal's on his chest again,"_ Gohan noticed. _"Wait a minute, is that seal acting as some sort of limiter?! Is that why he's not using his full power?!"_ When the Tufflebot stopped powering up, Gohan spoke. "So that's it, that seal doesn't just bind you to those mages' will, it limits your power! That's why you're much weaker than before; your full power is too much for them to handle and it would put their plans to risk if you were allowed to cut loose, and since there are six demons, they must be suppressing sixty percent of your power!" The Hatchiyak glared at the Z Fighter but didn't respond to his theory.

"Looks like that brat figured out Rancor's weakness," Cobra noted. "The big guy could be in trouble."

"What do we do now, Brain?" Angel asked. "Should we intervene?"

"Let it be. Rancor doesn't seem to want to back down, so we'll wait and see what his plan is," Midnight answered.

"Not a bad observation, Saiyan, you're much smarter than your kind is known for," Rancor stated. "But just because you know my weakness, doesn't mean you'll have any chance at defeating me!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow at his words. "Is that so?" he asked. He then smirked before doing something totally unexpected: he started walking toward the Hatchiyak.

"What is Gohan doing now?" Natsu wondered.

"Why is he walking toward the enemy?" Gray questioned.

"I've never seen such confidence in a fighter before, let alone a small boy," Erza said.

Gohan stopped directly in front of the war machine, still carrying the smirk on his face. Rancor clenched his fist in rage from the half Saiyan's insulting gesture. "What sort of mockery is this, Saiyan?!" he questioned angrily.

"You say that I have no chance of defeating you, and I think the opposite," Gohan responded. "That's why I'm not afraid to stand before you like this. Now give me your best shot!"

Rancor gritted his teeth before saying, "You dare to insult me with your arrogance, Saiyan?! Don't underestimate the grudge of a Tuffle!" He then raised his fist and brought it down on the hybrid. Gohan made no attempt to block or evade the blow but simply took it to the face. Rancor's eyes widened when Gohan just stared at him as though the attack hadn't fazed him at all. The machine glared at the Demi Saiyan before throwing another punch at him; this time, Gohan blocked the attack and countered by punching him in the gut. Rancor cringed from the blow just before Gohan uppercut him in the jaw, knocking him a few feet away. The machine staggered to its feet while staring at the Son of Goku in shock. "This can't be!" he muttered.

"Hey, are you giving up already? We were starting to have some fun!" Gohan mocked him cockily.

Rancor glowered at him before shouting, "You dare to mock me?!" He then charged at the Saiyan hybrid in full fury. He threw multiple punches and kicks at the Z fighter but his blows were evaded effortlessly. "Bad move, Saiyan, you can't dodge me forever!" he shouted.

"I guess you're right!" Gohan agreed. He widened his eyes at the robot, creating an invisible eye blast that blew Rancor away. The Tufflebot quickly recovered and continued to assault Gohan; this time, the Demi Saiyan blocked every one of his strikes before kicking him away. Rancor skidded across the floor before standing immediately to face the Saiyan; to his surprise, Gohan appeared right in front of him a second after he got to his feet. "Hey, you're bleeding, just like the last time we fought. But that can't be right, you're a machine! Do you have an oil leak or something?" Gohan mocked him when he saw the blood/oil spilling from his mouth. Rancor growled at him before firing a blast at the Saiyan. Gohan bent backward to avoid it and Rancor tried to punch him. Gohan grabbed his fist and threw him into the ceiling before phasing above him and elbow bashing him to the ground. Rancor landed on all fours and looked up but was met with a kick to the face by the half Saiyan, who then finished his attack by firing a kiai that blew Rancor into the side of the tomb, where he was buried by shattered rubble.

"Whoa, Gohan's mopping the floor with this guy!" Cana exclaimed.

"Just who or what is this kid and how can he be this strong?!" Byro gasped.

The rock pile exploded and Rancor revealed himself; he made no attempt to attack the Saiyan as he stood there with a darkened expression. His body twitched as he gritted his teeth, confusing those who were watching. "What's wrong? Are you starting to malfunction?" Gohan taunted.

"RAAAAAA!" Rancor roared as his body started channeling electricity again. Gohan raised his eyebrow as the machine threw a tantrum. Rancor's body was suddenly emitting a green fiery aura and pieces of rubble were floating around him. "SAIYAN! YOU HAVE DISGRACED ME FOR THE LAST TIME! BY MY HONOR AS THE TUFFLE'S GREATEST WARRIOR, I WILL KILL YOU AT ALL COSTS!"

All of the mages watching were truly frightened by Rancor's outburst. "Is it just me or are things starting to get really scary?!" Lucy asked fearfully.

"Oh man, looks like Gohan might be in some serious trouble!" Gray commented.

"And yet, he shows no sign of worry or fear, only… excitement," Erza muttered.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" a concerned Wendy inquired.

"Let's hope so," Michelle said.

"Come on, Gohan! Take that monster down!" Happy shouted encouragingly.

"Show 'em what you got, bro!" Romeo cheered.

"Teach him a lesson for messing with Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled.

Even the Oracion Seis couldn't hide their uneasiness about their comrade's display of fury. "Looks like our dear Rancor has snapped! Now that boy's really in for a hot payoff!" Jackpot giggled.

"That freak's gone mad! He could very well take us all out just to get that kid!" Cobra exclaimed distastefully.

"What now, Brain?" Angel asked.

"Don't worry, even in his fit of rage, we still have full control of him and his powers," Midnight assured. "If worst comes to worst, we can retreat and leave Rancor to dispose of these insects, but for now, let's see what happens next!"

On Rancor's chest gem, four lines appeared, dividing it into four parts; each part started glowing as they changed color. The top right was white, the top left was green, the bottom right was black, and the bottom left was dark green. Then the entire chest circle started glowing dark green and Rancor's body suddenly started to expand until it grew about ten times its size; any bigger and it would have brought the whole place down on them. Rancor smirked as he glanced down at the Demi Saiyan. "BEHOLD, SAIYAN! WITHIN ME LIES NOT JUST THE GRUDGE, BUT ALSO THE ABILITIES OF THE WARRIORS YOUR FATHER HAS DEFEATED IN BATTLE… AND I'M GOING TO USE EVERY ONE OF THEM TO KILL HIS SON!" he shouted as he brought his gigantic fist down on his prey. Gohan easily dodged the attack and landed on his right while the blow smashed the ground and sent cracks to the ceiling.

"Missed me, big guy!" Gohan called. Rancor turned right and charged at the Saiyan again. The Z Fighter swiftly evaded the machine's blows while his friends watch in amazement.

"How did this thing get so much bigger?!" Mira questioned in shock.

"Isn't changing one's size a type of magic?" Levy pondered.

"I thought it couldn't use magic!" Lisanna said.

"Actually, this is magic, just a different kind. I've seen my mentor use this once," Gohan stated in between dodges, making his friends look at him in bewilderment. "I'll explain later."

"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT, YOU PEST!" Rancor roared as he threw another fist at the half-breed.

"If you insist," Gohan replied. He stood his ground and faced the Tufflebot; he dodged Rancor's kick and punched it in the abdomen. The robot stumbled a bit before it attempted to swat him away. Gohan then jumped onto the machine's arm before kicking it in the chin; he flew away from it and hit it with a large golden beam. The blast pushed Rancor into a wall, and Gohan continued to pound with energy attacks. The ceaseless barrage of blasts consumed the machine in a large wall of fire; after a few seconds, the flames were blown away and the Tufflebot was shown in its original size. "You can't beat me using Lord Slug's techniques 'cause I was trained by a Super Namek myself!"

"Then how about this technique, Saiyan!" Rancor yelled. The gems on his wrist started glowing, forming two green wrist blades of energy. He then rushed at the Son of Goku and swung his Ki blades at him. Gohan simply bent backward to evade the slash before grabbing the blades with his hands. Rancor struggled to free himself but Gohan's strength surpassed his own. The Saiyan then kicked the machine the face with both feet, causing the blades to snap in half. Gohan smirked again, which angered Rancor even more. "I'm not finished with you yet, monkey!" he proclaimed as the chest gem started glowing white. He then opened his palms and two purple razor disks of energy appeared in his hands and were thrown at the Demi Saiyan.

Gohan calmly waited for the disks to get close to him before jumping over them. "There's no way you can defeat me with a pale imitation of my partner's technique!" he declared.

"You sure are a cocky Saiyan, brat!" Rancor retorted as he watched his razor disks swerve around and head straight for Gohan's back.

The Fairies watched worriedly as the buzz saws of Ki got closer to the seemingly unaware Demi Saiyan. "Gohan, look out behind you!" Wendy hoped to warn her friend, but to their surprise, Gohan disappeared, once again avoiding the energy disks. Rancor waved his arms around, directing the disks to chase after the Saiyan. Gohan swerved through the tomb with the disks right behind him. Everywhere Gohan jumped, the disks followed, and when he bounced off one of the stones, the disks sliced right through them. Gohan then changed direction and flew right toward the Tufflebot.

"Ha! Only a simple-minded simian could come up with a tactic so predictable," Rancor laughed. "You're attempting to lead the disks back to me, then pull up at the last second so I'll be the one cut to pieces, right?!" Gohan gave no answer as he came closer to his opponent. "Well that's not going to work on me, Saiyan!" Rancor declared as his chest gem started glowing green and he fired precise laser beams from his eyes at the Z Fighter.

Gohan quickly used his arms to block the beams; they exploded against his arms but didn't damage him in the slightest. However, that distraction gave time for the razor disks to catch up to him, and Rancor smirked as the disks closed in on the Saiyan. Gohan turned to the disks with a surprised expression just as they severed his body into three parts. The mages' eyes went wide at the Demi Saiyan's destruction until the image of Gohan shimmered and faded out of existence. Rancor frowned as he said, "Did you really think I would be fooled by optical illusions?!" He then looked up to see the Son of Goku hovering above him. "This time I'll cut you in half!" The war machine swung his arms, commanding the energy disks to advance on the Saiyan. Gohan froze as the disks sliced through his body, before once again disappearing to show that he was just an afterimage. Rancor growled as he turned around and saw the Super Saiyan 2 standing with his arms crossed.

"Like I said, you won't be able to defeat me with those disks, but why don't I make it easy for you?" Gohan offered as he shifted his feet. "See this spot? I won't move from it."

"Your overconfidence is going to lead to your death, Saiyan!" Rancor cried as he threw the energy disks at his foe; the disks cut through the ground as they got closer to the Demi Saiyan. Gohan lowered his arms as he revved up his fiery aura. When the disks were right before him, he raised his hands grabbed one in each hand, easily holding the razor disks without getting cut to pieces. He then closed his hands, shattering the disks into tiny shards of Ki. Gohan shook his hands and smirked at the Tufflebot again, while Rancor gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face!" he vowed before rushing at Gohan again. The Saiyan easily blocked Rancor's fist before punching him in the face and double kicking him aside. The machine stood up and pointed his index finger at the boy. "Take this, Saiyan!" he yelled as he fired Frieza's finger beam attack. Gohan just moved to the left, dodging the beam with little effort. Rancor continued to fire multiple finger beams at the half Saiyan but he repeatedly evaded every single one of them. Rancor sneered at Gohan before an idea came to him; he pointed his finger at the mages and said, "This attack you can't dodge!" He fired the deadly beam at the wizards, shocking them and Gohan, who rushed to intercept the attack.

Dan held up his shield to hopefully reflect the attack, but Gohan got in front of them and swatted the beam aside with his right hand, but Rancor wasn't done yet. The war machine fired numerous beams at Gohan since he knew he couldn't dodge anymore if he wanted to keep his friends safe. One after another, piercing beams were launched at the Demi Saiyan, but he stood his ground and sent every single one of them flying into a different direction. When Rancor finally stopped, he was surprised and angry to see that Gohan wasn't wearing down at all. "He blocked all of those blasts with one hand, and he even directed away from the humans!"

Gohan then lowered his hand and sped over to Rancor, kicking him in the face. The machine got up and tried to punch the Saiyan hybrid but was elbow bashed instead. The Tuffle stood back up again, and opened his mouth wide; he fired a large green energy beam at the half Saiyan. Gohan crossed his arms and deflected the blast. "That was weak, let me show you how to do it properly!" Gohan said before opening his mouth and firing his own Ki attack. Rancor was struck in the chest and his center gem cracked as he was knocked onto his back. "You can't beat me, so why don't you surrender?" Rancor glared at the half Saiyan once he was back on his feet again, but then something peculiar caught the attention of his artificial eye. He spotted the mages watching the battle and suddenly started to smirk, which made Gohan raise an eyebrow. "What's with the smirk? Figured out some strategy to beat me?" he inquired.

"Something like that," Rancor answered before firing an energy blast at the Saiyan. Gohan simply blocked it, but in the process, blinded himself from seeing what Rancor was doing. With this chance, the war machine dashed toward the Saiyan, only to fly right past him and go straight for his friends. When the Z Fighter noticed this he rushed to stop the robot, but was blown into a pile of rubble by a surprise kiai attack from the Tufflebot. Gohan quickly got back up but was too late as the war machine had already grabbed one of the Fairy Tail mages. Gohan looked among the mages and saw which one was missing; a sudden shriek was heard, getting all who heard it to look up. At the top of the tomb was the Sky Dragon Slayer within the grasp of the Tufflebot. Wendy struggled to free her head from Rancor's hold but it was useless for her to fight against the machine's iron grip.

"Unhand her, you monstrosity!" Carla demanded furiously.

"Wendy, no!" Gohan cried.

"That's right, Saiyan, I've discovered your weakness!" Rancor gloated."Your feelings for these… pathetic humans. I wonder how much you would give in order to save this girl!"

"Let her go, Rancor!" Gohan demanded.

"I'm the one giving the orders here, Saiyan!" Rancor countered. "And unless you want this girl's head to spontaneously combust… you'll stand down now!"

"He said to give her back now!" Natsu shouted as he jumped at the Tufflebot with a flaming fist. Rancor easily swatted the Dragon Slayer aside, sending him back to the ground where he was caught by Gohan.

"I said to stand down Saiyan… **now!** " the machine repeated more firmly as the hand around Wendy's head started glowing with energy. Gohan growled as he gently placed Natsu back with the others.

" _Damn it, what can I do now? He's too high for me to reach before he can do anything to Wendy. Even I'm not that fast!"_ Gohan thought as he clenched his fist.

"Well, what's it gonna be, Saiyan?" Rancor asked. Gohan glared at the Tufflebot, but complied as he powered down to his base form. The machine smirked. "That's more like it." He then aimed his hand at the Son of Goku and channeled energy into it. He fired the blast at the boy, hitting him right in the chest; Gohan cringed from the attack but stood tall. "Let's see how many of my attacks you can take before you pass out!" Rancor said as he prepared to fire another energy blast at Gohan, who showed no emotion as he glanced at the scared Sky Maiden in the Tufflebot's palm. Rancor fired multiple energy blasts at the Demi Saiyan; he took each one after another, his face expressed slight pain from the attacks but his mind refused to let his body give in. "You Saiyans truly are stubborn creatures, but even you have your limits!" Rancor stated. He fired another blast at the Saiyan.

"G-Gohan, don't w-worry about m-me! Just stop him!" Wendy shouted, getting Rancor to tighten his grip around her head.

"Don't try to act brave, child!" Rancor told her. He then glanced toward the Saiyan, who started shaking in anger. "Hmm, are you upset that you can't fight and save your friend, child? Too bad, there's no way for you to win now!"

"You're wrong! There's one way for me to win!" Gohan declared. He then raised his hand till it was aimed right at the Tufflebot before turning Super Saiyan.

"Don't try to bluff me, Saiyan, I know you don't have the strength to attack the both of us!" Rancor said as his hand started glowing again. "You'll only succeed in killing your friend faster!"

Gohan gave no response as he levitated to the war machine's level with his hand still aimed at him; he then powered up to Super Saiyan 2 and glanced at Wendy before muttering, "I'm sorry, Wendy." The Demi Saiyan's hand suddenly started glowing as he charged up an energy blast. Everyone stared at the Saiyan with wide eyes as he prepared to fire his attack.

"W-What's Gohan doing?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"He's not really going to attack Wendy, is he?" Gray questioned.

"I… don't know," Erza admitted.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, CHILD?!" Carla cried.

"Don't do it, Gohan!" Romeo yelled.

Gohan once again gave no answer, but just kept his neutral expression while still aiming his energy attack at the Tufflebot and the Sky Maiden. The blast in his hand began to expand. Rancor's face expressed fear as doubt began to control his judgment. "Cut the acting, Saiyan, you don't have the guts to…" Rancor started to say before Gohan glared intensely at him. Seeing that glare temporarily reminded him of the Saiyans from Planet Vegeta. His face expressed the same ruthlessness, coldness, and anger that theirs did during the battle between the Tuffles and the Saiyans. "No, you wouldn't…" he muttered, now unsure whether that was true. Gohan still had his hand charged with an energy blast before suddenly aiming and firing it at another target: the Infinity Clock. "NO!" Rancor screamed as the seal on his chest gem activated. He then released Wendy and flew toward the clock while Gohan dove to catch his friend. Rancor got in front of the clock and deflected the blast; in anger, he fired a massive energy attack at the Demi Saiyan and the Dragon Slayer. Gohan caught Wendy just as the blast collided with them, and the two were consumed by the explosion. "Wendy! Gohan!" the Fairies cried. When the explosion faded, Gohan was seen with his back smoking from taking the blast while Wendy was in his arms, unharmed.

"Wendy, are you ok?" Gohan asked his guildmate with concern.

"Y-Yes I'm fine, thank you, Gohan," Wendy replied.

The half Saiyan nodded as he descended back to the ground where the wizards were. He placed the Sky Maiden beside her exceed companion. "Oh Wendy, thank goodness you're alright!" Carla said as she embraced her friend. She then turned to the Son of Goku, looking very upset. "How could be so reckless, child?! What if your bluff didn't work?! Who knows what could've happened to Wendy!" Gohan turned away from her as she spoke.

"Carla, it's ok. Gohan saved me, so it's fine," Wendy said defensively.

"You're right, Carla," Gohan muttered, surprising his friends. "But don't worry; I'm going to end this… right now!" He then turned to the Tufflebot with an enraged expression on his face. "You're gonna regret using my friends against me, Rancor, 'cause now I'm mad! I'm really, really mad! And now, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" he shouted as his energy flared all around. The entire tomb shook as Gohan's anger rose. He then roared as he flew at Rancor and appeared behind him before kicking him in the back. He phased again, above the machine and elbow bashed him in the head. The Demi Saiyan repeatedly disappeared and reappeared around Rancor and brutally beat him up. He ended the assault by blasting Rancor deep into the ground before diving in after him to continue painfully pummeling him into a pulp. The tomb shook again as Gohan thrashed the Tufflebot from underground. An explosion stretched out to the surface just before Rancor jumped out.

"I'LL SEND YOU TO OBLIVION, SAIYAN!" Rancor roared. The Tuffle started firing numerous Ki blasts into the hole he escaped from; after he finished, there was a deep trench that was smoking from Rancor's attack but no sign of the Saiyan hybrid anywhere. "WHERE ARE YOU, SAIYAN?!" he screamed. Suddenly, a blast burst out of the ground, almost hitting Rancor in the process. Then numerous energy blasts were erupted from the dirt toward the war machine; Rancor barely managed to dodge every one of them before he shouted, "COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A WARRIOR, YOU MONKEY!" He continued to look around for his enemy when Gohan abruptly sprung from the ground with his hands cupped together.

"This ends now! **Ka…me...** " Gohan shouted as he gathered Ki in between his palms. Rancor's eyes grew wide when he sensed the amount of power the Son of Goku was putting into his next attack, so he quickly crossed his arms as he prepared to use his signature attack: the Revenge Cannon. **"…ha…me…"** Gohan continued to chant as the energy in his hands formed into a blue star of light. Rancor's wrist gems started to shine green but he was far from being finished charging his attack. _"Damn it, I won't make it in time!"_ the Tufflebot thought as he stared at the half Saiyan in fear. **"HAAAA!"** Gohan roared as he thrust his hands at Rancor and his attack expanded into a giant blue sphere of energy; but just as it was about to consume Rancor, the attack dissipated instantly, confusing the Saiyan, the Tufflebot, and the wizards. For a moment, neither fighter made a move, but then Rancor's look of surprise quickly changed into one of triumph as he finished charging up his attack. **"Revenge Cannon!"** he shouted as he fired an emerald beam at the Demi Saiyan, blasting him right into the ground.

Gohan slowly got to his feet. His vision got blurry again, dark rings formed under his eyes, and his body became slightly numb. _"What's wrong with me? Why's my body going numb?"_ Gohan wondered as he prepared to fight Rancor again.

The machine landed on the ground and noticed the half Saiyan's condition. "It seems it's finally taking effect," he noted. "My patience has been rewarded."

"What are you talking about?" Gohan questioned.

"What's happening to your body Saiyan is a result of one the Oracion Seis' attacks that you took," Rancor answered. "Specifically the one named Cobra. And I'm sure you can guess what he attacks with based on his name…"

It took a second for Gohan to figure it out. "Poison."

"It's more than that, he's known as the Poison Dragon Slayer," Rancor continued to explain. "And you took one of his attacks head-on. As a result, your body is being flooded with viruses, and eventually it will start to rot itself away if the poison stays in your body long enough."

"So that's what you were doing," Gohan said as he realized the truth. "You were just buying time for the poison in my body to spread."

"While you Saiyans rely on your brute strength to win your battles, we Tuffles use our keen intellect, and that never fails!" Rancor stated. "I knew if I fought with you long enough, the poison would spread to every bit of your body and affect you greatly. Even in your Super Saiyan form, I thought I could hold out long enough… but then you showed me your second Super Saiyan form. My current level of power was no match for yours, and you could've ended me before the poison started weakening you, but there were two things that I didn't count on to help me: your second form and your cockiness. Like every other Saiyan, your power makes you so proud that you disregard everything else, so you decided to play with me until you got extremely angry. But it was your first weakness that really let you down. In your Super Saiyan form, everything in your system accelerates, which means the moment you entered that form, the poison began spreading through your body at a faster rate!"

Gohan's eyes grew wider at Rancor's words. "But that means, when I went _Super_ Super Saiyan…"

Rancor nodded. "That's right. I hadn't counted on you acquiring a second form, but once you used it, the poison began to spread even faster than I anticipated. You almost got me and won our fight, but my brain power was my true advantage and the key to my victory!" Rancor then fired a kiai that blew the Demi Saiyan onto the floor on his back; he then approached the boy slowly while smirking. Gohan gritted his teeth as he tried to stand. "Well now, your time has come to an end, Saiyan, and your fight is over!"

"No, Gohan's in trouble!" Wendy cried.

"We gotta do something!" Romeo insisted.

"FOR THE CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST THE TUFFLES, IT IS MY HONOR AND DUTY TO SERVE JUSTICE!" Rancor proclaimed as he raised his left foot over Gohan's stomach; he then stomped hard on the half Saiyan's abdomen, making the boy cry out in pain. The Tufflebot repeated this action while laughing as he caused his enemy more and more pain. "Get away from him!" someone shouted to the machine, and he turned to see many of the Fairy Tail members rushing toward him to help their Saiyan friend. Rancor quickly channeled Ki into his right hand and swiped it across the air. A sudden shockwave stopped the mages in their tracks before they could get any closer. "That was a warning, you'd be wise to heed it or else the next shot won't miss!" Rancor said. "This battle is between me and the Saiyan!" The mages glared at the Tufflebot but remained still as the machine refocused his attention on the Demi Saiyan, who was slowly getting back on his feet.

"Heh, if that's what you call serving justice, then I feel sorry for you," Gohan said as he grasped his gut.

"Impossible, how are you still standing?" Rancor asked in disbelief.

"What can I say, I'm just very stubborn," Gohan replied.

"It matters little," the machine dismissed. "You can't fight the poison in your body for much longer, especially when you have to fight me in that secondary Super Saiyan form! It's only a matter of time!"

"Then I'll just have to take you down before I run out of juice!" Gohan declared as he powered up.

"Fight to the very end, huh? That's so like a Saiyan!" Rancor remarked distastefully as he charged up as well.

"Do you think Gohan can still win?" Lucy asked, scared.

"I guess we're about to find out," Gray answered.

"Come on, Gohan! Don't let that measly poison slow you down, take him out!" Natsu cheered.

Gohan took his fighting position as he prepared to fight Rancor again; he charged at the war machine to strike him, but ended up getting hit in the cheek by the machine's elbow. Gohan shook it off and the two warriors began throwing blows at each other. As the battle went on, the Son of Goku began to slow down; every blow he gave the Tufflebot, it gave three times the attack. Rancor separated from Gohan and flew through the tomb. Gohan flew after him, unaware of the machine's plan to wear him down by making him burn out his energy while resisting the poison in his system. He then disappeared from Gohan's eyesight; the half Saiyan could still sense where he would appear but his body could no longer keep up with the machine's speed. "What's the matter, Saiyan, you seem to be moving much slower than when we started!" Rancor taunted as he kicked Gohan in the back. Gohan grasped his back in pain as he turned to face Rancor but was struck with a punch to the face. The Tufflebot continuously beat the Z fighter up before finishing his assault with an energy blast that sent Gohan into the ground. Rancor then shot another one, hitting the side of the tomb and causing an explosion that buried Gohan under several pieces of rubble. "That didn't take as long as I thought," Rancor chuckled.

The mages stared at the pile of rubble with looks of horror on their faces. For a moment, they believed that the young Saiyan had just been killed by this fighting machine. "No, Gohan, it can't be," Wendy murmured.

Is it… really over?" Coco questioned, afraid to know the answer. "Is he… dead?"

Rancor then turned to the mages and smirked wickedly. "There's no need to grieve over the Saiyan child, I'll send you all to see him soon!" he declared. Some of the mages were shaking in terror while others were enraged. As Rancor took a step toward the humans, he sensed something and turned back to the rock pile where he buried the half-breed. Beams of light shot out of the rubble before it exploded, revealing the Demi Saiyan, injured and bruised but still alive.

All of the Fairies' faces, as well as Coco's, lit up with joy when they saw that their comrade hadn't kicked the bucket yet. "I knew it! I knew Gohan wasn't done yet!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Liar! You were just as upset as the rest of us!" Happy stated.

"Shut up, Happy!" Natsu barked.

Gohan walked slowly toward his opponent, still willing to fight despite his weakened state; he stopped a few feet away from the Tufflebot before taking his stance again. "So, still alive, Saiyan? That won't be for much longer though!" Rancor said. Gohan gave him no response, which confused him. "What's the matter, monkey, cat got you tongue?"

"Chatting unnecessarily with you won't do me any good," Gohan responded. "It'll only waste time, and as you can see, I don't have a lot of it to spare."

"Very well then, no more words!" Rancor agreed. "We'll just let our fists do the talking!" The Tufflebot then dashed toward the Saiyan and tried to punch him, but Gohan dodged the attack before he kicked Rancor in the face. Just like before, as the two were locked in combat, Gohan received more blows than he could give. Rancor elbow bashed the Son of Goku to the ground before phasing in front of him and kicking him in the face. Gohan caught himself and rubbed his face while glaring at his enemy. The Saiyan was breathing heavily as his arms and legs were shaking. He staggered a bit before flying at Rancor with his fist ready, but the robot merely sidestepped him before striking him in the stomach with an energy blast. Gohan went flying backward and crashed into the wall. Before he could recover, Rancor punched him in the gut, causing him to cough up blood as he knelt on the ground in pain and grasped his stomach. Rancor looked down at his weakened state and smirked. "How does it feel, Saiyan, to be so strong yet not strong enough? To be the one taking the pain instead of giving it? To know that soon your life will end and you'll have failed your loved ones?!" he asked. Gohan glared at him before he jumped up, punched Rancor's face, and sent him flying with an energy blast.

The red giant crashed into the wall, but when he emerged, he simply cracked his neck as if he barely felt the Saiyan's attacks. _"Damn it, my attacks aren't having an effect on him now. This poison's really slowing me down. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,"_ Gohan thought. He then glanced at the Infinity Clock for a second before looking back at the Tufflebot. _"I may not be able to beat Rancor, but I can at least put a stop to his masters' plans. Sorry Lucy, but this is the only way to end it!"_ The Demi Saiyan placed two fingers by his forehead and focused his Ki into them; when he finished, his fingertips were sparking with energy while his left hand was also glowing with Ki. "Try this! **Scatter Shot!** " he cried as he fired multiple energy blasts at the robot. Rancor easily dodged the barrage of Ki attacks, yet despite the fact that he was missing, Gohan continued to fire potshots at the Tufflebot.

"Man, Gohan's really missing this guy!" Natsu stated.

"The poison must be affecting his aim," Gray suggested.

"I don't think so. Look where those go after they miss," Levy pointed out.

Everyone could now see that the blasts were positioning themselves around Rancor, closing off any escape route he could use. "The blasts are surrounding him," Erza realized.

"Kid must have a plan for that," Gajeel said.

When Gohan finished firing, the energy blasts were stationed all around the machine; every direction Rancor turned, there were energy blasts preventing him from fleeing. "Take this! **Hellzone Grenade!** " Gohan shouted as he clenched his left hand. The numerous energy blasts surrounding Rancor suddenly flew toward him, simultaneously hitting him and combusting on contact. The Tufflebot was consumed in a massive explosion, which was what the Demi Saiyan was waiting for. _"Now's my chance!"_ he thought as he jumped toward the infinity clock and aimed his two glowing fingers at it. **"Special Beam Cannon!"** The Son of Goku fired the spiraling beam attack straight at the ancient artifact; however, it never made contact as the beam suddenly stopped in front of the clock and launched itself back to the half Saiyan. Gohan quickly dodged it, but the beam struck his left arm, wounding him. He glared at the clock to see Cobra and Midnight standing on top of it, smirking.

"Nice try, kid, but I heard your plan a mile away!" Cobra snickered.

"And now, you're finished!" Brain II declared. **"Dark Capriccio!"** He fired his piercing beam of darkness at the half Saiyan, but Gohan simply deflected it with his right hand.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with some cheap imitation of my mentor's technique?!" Gohan asked the mages. He then sensed something behind him full of rage, and he turned to see Rancor with his fist raised above his head. The machine slammed his fist onto the Saiyan's head, sending him plummeting into the ground. Gohan landed on his hands and feet before rubbing his head; he looked up to see Rancor standing over him, still looking angry.

"I do not appreciate being made a fool of, Saiyan, Tuffles just hate being outsmarted!" Rancor sneered. "And for that… you will pay dearly!" The Tufflebot then started relentlessly beating up the Saiyan hybrid. Gohan barely had time to register any pain the machine was inflicting on him. His guildmates were all shaking in anger as they watched the robot show no mercy to a child. When he was finished, Rancor grabbed Gohan by the hair with his right hand and held the boy in front of his left hand; he then fired an energy blast into Gohan's face, sending him flying and making another crater in the ground. "It's over, Saiyan," Rancor muttered.

"S-Says w-who?" Gohan questioned as he crawled out of the hole. "You t-think I'm just g-gonna give up? N-Never!" The half Saiyan grasped his left arm as he slowly approached the fighting machine. "I-I am a Saiyan warrior! I-I refuse to l-lose to you, n-not when there's s-so much at s-stake! I WILL NOT LET YOU WIN!" Gohan roared as he charged at Rancor, yet the machine just smirked as its chest gem started glowing purple and it fired energy beams from its eyes. The beams struck the Saiyan in the chest, knocking him onto his back. Gohan's chest was smoking from the attack as it burned immensely. "T-That was… C-Cooler's death beam!" Gohan murmured as he tried to stand again.

"Another technique I've acquired from your father's foes," Rancor said. "But enough about that, it's time to finish you off, monkey!" The machine phased in front of Gohan and grabbed his shirt; he then pulled Gohan into a bear hug and started crushing the life out of him. Gohan screamed in agony as Rancor tightened his grip on him. "Does that hurt, Saiyan?" he asked. "Well it doesn't compare to what your kind did to my people, so your pain is just beginning!" The young boy coughed up more blood as Rancor continued to squeeze him. The Fairies watching had expressions twisted with anger and sorrow.

"No, Gohan," Wendy mumbled while on the verge of crying.

"What kind of monster would do this sort of thing to a child?!" Carla demanded.

"It's pretty clear that this thing has no intention of ending Gohan's suffering anytime soon," Lily spoke grimly.

"Come on, Gohan, you've gotta hang on," Happy muttered nervously.

Even the members of the Legion Platoon could not hide the horror on their faces from watching Gohan's torment. "This is truly a gruesome sight!" Dan stated. "It's so barbaric, so unbearable…"

"We can't just let this happen! We have to do something!" Coco yelled. She got up to try and aid the Saiyan but was stopped by her former leader. "Lord Byro, what are you doing?!"

"Don't interfere, Coco! This isn't our fight!" Byro told her. "Whatever happens to that boy is none of our concern, only to fulfill the Archbishop's mission!"

"That boy is not our enemy, he's not the one trying to stop us!" Coco argued. "We can't just let these demons kill him after they've manipulated all of us into fighting against each other!" She struggled to try and help the Demi Saiyan but the Legion leader refused to budge; in desperation, the athlete turned to the Fairy Tail mages. "Are you guys just gonna stand there and let Gohan die?! I thought you were his friends, and he needs your help! You have to save him!"

For a moment, no one made any move, but then Natsu stepped forward and said, "You're right. We should do something to help! I don't care if we don't stand a chance against that thing, I can't watch him hurt one of our guildmates!"

Gray then stood beside him. "I agree with flame brain! I can't stomach this anymore!"

"Gohan is one of us, and he needs our help!" Erza stated as she requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "We must do what we can to save him, that's the Fairy Tail way!" Pretty soon, every one of the members of Fairy Tail stood together as they prepared to aid the half Saiyan, who had just powered down from his Super Saiyan form but was still wailing in pain from Rancor's death grip. "Let's try hitting it from a distance! It would be best if we didn't approach the machine yet! All those who can use long range attacks, hit it with everything you've got! We have to save our comrade!" As instructed, those among the Fairies that could use long range attacks fired their strongest spells at the Tufflebot. The attacks flew through the tomb and struck Rancor right in the back, consuming him and Gohan in a massive explosion. When it died down, the machine was still holding the Saiyan as though nothing had happened; however, he dropped Gohan who was gasping for air and turned to face the mages.

"Gohan!" Wendy cried as she tried to rush to his side but was held back by Erza.

"Not yet! We still have the enemy to deal with," the Fairy Queen said.

"You mages are truly stubborn, almost as stubborn as the Saiyans," Rancor remarked. "And that annoys me to no end! It is clear that you pests must be exterminated at once!" The Tuffle's chest gem started to glow black as he clamped his hands together; a gold sphere of energy formed in between his palms and began to expand. "Saiyans and humans, you must all die if I am to avenge my people!" he declared as he held the energy ball above his head.

The Oracion Seis grew suspicious of what their machine ally was planning. "That doesn't look too good, Brain, Rancor's really serious now!" Cobra alerted his leader.

"Then it's about time we left this place, we have what we need after all," Midnight decided. "We'll have to finish these pests another time, though I doubt we'll see them after again today." The six demons suddenly vanished from the tomb, as did the Infinity Clock.

"Hey! Come back and face us, you cowards!" Natsu yelled furiously.

"Forget them, Natsu!" Romeo exclaimed.

"Yeah! We've got bigger problems to deal with in case you haven't noticed!" Lucy added.

Gohan began to stir awake as he sensed the massive increase in Rancor's Ki; he looked up to see the Tufflebot charging up an attack to toss at the mages.

"I think we should get out of here, guys!" Cana suggested.

"What about Gohan?! We can't just leave him here!" Wendy argued.

"I don't think we'll be able to get to him in time!" Gajeel stated.

"Don't bother trying to escape now!" Rancor said to the mages. "None of you will leave this tomb alive; this is the end for you!" The Zentopian tomb began to quake violently as Rancor condensed his attack.

" _That's the same attack Turles tried to kill me with!"_ Gohan thought as he recognized what Rancor was doing. The Tufflebot then tossed the blast at the wizards, who were paralyzed in fear from the amount of power it emitted. Using the last of his strength, Gohan got to his feet and dashed to save his friends; he stood in front of him and spread out his arms while turning Super Saiyan again. "HAAAAH!" the Son of Goku screamed as he formed a blue energy barrier around him, his guild members, and the Legion Platoon. The blast collided with his shield and pushed against it, and Rancor smirked as he swiftly disappeared from the crumbling tomb. Gohan struggled to hold up the barrier as his friends waited anxiously. The shield suddenly started to crack and the Saiyan fell on one knee. " _Damn it! I can't hold this much longer,_ " he thought. He suddenly remembered the deaths of Goku and Mirai Trunks due to his failure to stop Cell, and that was enough to give him the strength he needed. "No! I won't let anyone die again!" The Demi Saiyan then charged up to Super Saiyan 2 and released more energy, expanding the shield and pushing the blast back. It exploded on impact, taking out the entire tomb as it expanded to the surface and into the sky.

On the surface in the desert, Mary Hughes, Samuel, and Sugarboy were trekking along the sandy dunes when a beam of light energy shot out of the ground and into the sky; the force created a gale force that blew a small sand wave toward the Zentopian warriors. They shielded their faces until it passed and gazed at the pillar of Ki expanding into the blood red sky. "Whoa! Like, what is that?!" Hughes inquired.

"NO!" Sugarboy shouted. "Looks like we got some serious double-trouble, baby!"

The gray Exceed examined the energy pillar as it faded away and smoke erupted from the ground "This is terrible, I had a bad feeling this might happen," he admitted.

"What do you mean?" Hughes asked the cat. "Wait a minute, are you trying to say that you calculated this? Spill it, cat!"

"No, my calculations were off," Samuel answered. "That's unusual for me. I believe that someone… manipulated them to be wrong."

"Sorry, but I don't follow you, man," the singer said.

"Yeah, you wanna explain a little more?" the conductor continued to ask.

"I'm shocked you can't feel it, the overwhelming presence of evil in this place," Samuel replied. "Along with… the tremendous amount of force coming from the tomb."

"Does this have anything to do with that Fairy Tail kid and that red giant that stole the clock pieces?" Hughes inquired.

"I believe it does. Those two are so powerful and unpredictable that they seem to far _exceed_ my calculations, pardon the pun," Samuel revealed.

"Well, whatever it is, Lord Byro, Coco, and Dan trapped down there!" Mary Hughes exclaimed. "We have to do something to help them!" Suddenly, sand from the desert started rapidly sinking into the hole in the smoking tomb. "What's happening?!"

"The tomb seems to be caving in!" Samuel realized.

"But that means the others will be buried alive!" Hughes gasped. "What'll we do?!"

"I do not know, I didn't calculate this," Samuel confessed shamefully.

"Wait a second, folks, what the heck is that?" Sugarboy inquired as he pointed at the tomb. Multiple smaller beams of energy suddenly shot out of the ground before another explosion occurred. After it ended, an enormous blue sphere emerged from the ground; inside it, Gohan was channeling Ki from the top of the energy shield while the Fairies and the Legion Platoon were standing at the bottom. The Demi Saiyan carried the barrier above the tomb hole and placed it on the sand dunes. He then descended to the bottom before dropping the shield.

"Is everyone ok?" he asked as he turned to face the mages; they gasped when they saw his current condition. The Saiyan's forehead spilled blood over his right eye, his left arm had a bad wound on it as did his chest, and he was covered with bruises. Before anyone could answer his question, the Z fighter succumbed to his wounds and Cobra's poison, passing out and falling face first into the sand.

"Gohan!" Wendy cried. The Fairies quickly rushed to their friend's side. They checked on him and saw that he was still breathing.

"He's alive, but he needs medical attention right away!" Erza stated.

Coco then walked toward them, full of concern. "Will he be alright?" she asked worriedly.

Lucy smiled in a comforting way. "Don't worry, he's super strong. He'll pull through, and we'll make sure he recovers."

The athlete smiled sadly and said, "Tell him sorry for me, and thanks for saving me." She then left to rejoin her former comrades.

"We should get out of here right now," Gray decided.

"What about Gohan?" Romeo asked. "He won't make it in his condition!"

"And it'll take us too long to get the guild!" Levy said.

"Wait a minute, what's that up there?" Lily questioned as he pointed to the sky, and everyone looked up to see that a strange aircraft hovering above the desert was headed to their location. Some of the mages didn't recognize it, but Team Natsu and Lyon knew exactly what it was. "It's the Christina!" they announced.

 **A/N: Another chapter comes to an end! Sorry it took me so long to finish, I got sick for a few days and it was torture. The headache I got made it very difficult to think or remember what I wanted to write. Anyway, good guys have lost round one; now it's time to pick themselves up and get ready for the second round! This arc will only get more interesting, which you probably already know at this point! I also see that my number of followers and favorites for this story seems to be increasing by the day; that's great! Thank you to those who enjoy and support this fanfic! One more thing, I know some of the fight scenes are similar to the canon fights; no need to point that out to me if you recognize some. Catch you later, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 16**

"Meeeeen," Ichiya greeted the Fire Dragon Slayer as he slowly opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with the so called Pretty man of beauty crazed guild. Natsu freaked out and skulled bashed the short mage, knocking him away; the blue exceed then appeared over him and exclaimed, "You're up! About time!"

"What the? Where the heck are we?" the fire mage inquired while rubbing his forehead.

"The Blue Pegasus guild hall," Happy answered.

"Uh, blue what now?"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten my distinctive and potent parfum," Ichiya said as he struck a pose.

"You saved the others too, right? So where are they?" Natsu inquired.

"There's no need to worry, I rescued everyone!" Ichiya announced as he showed the Salamander that most of his guildmates were safe and sound inside the Blue Pegasus guild hall. "They're relaxing and thanking their lucky stars that most of them weren't seriously hurt, meeeeen!"

"Okay…" Natsu replied.

"Ooooh, look at you all bright eye and bushy tail!" Master Bob greeted the fire mage.

"You're awake!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Geez, it sure took you long enough after collapsing on the ship, sleeping beauty!" Gray remarked.

"Be sure to thank Ichiya for his help," Erza instructed Natsu. "They came to get us and helped us recuperate from our battle."

"Seriously, thanks a lot, man," Natsu said gratefully.

"You don't have to thank me, friend, I know you'd do the same for me," Ichiya replied while posing again.

"Fairy Tail has so many handsome hunks! The world would be an uglier place if we just let them die in battle!" Master Bob stated.

"Whatever you say," Lucy chuckled nervously.

"Just thought I'd let you know that I cared for _you_ myself," Master Bob said to Gray as he scooted next to him.

"O-Oh, d-did you n-now?" the ice mage stammered as he quivered while sweating.

"He appreciates it, Master Bob," Erza said.

"He also slept right beside you, Gray," Happy teased.

"That I did," the Master admitted.

"SO CREEPY!" Gray cried while grabbing his head. The two then spotted Juvia emitting a dark aura while glaring at the Blue Pegasus Master.

"So, where are your glittery buddies?" Natsu asked Ichiya.

"Eve, Hibiki, and Ren are currently traveling abroad on another mission, meeeen," Ichiya answered.

"What about the Legion Platoon?" Natsu continued to ask.

"I'm afraid I didn't see anyone else there," Ichiya revealed.

"I see, those bastards…" Natsu grumbled.

"Is something wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked the fire mage.

"The Neo Oracion Seis," Natsu replied as he recalled how their enemies demolished them with ease. "They may have beaten us in the first round, but this fight ain't over yet! We're gonna thrash 'em next time!" The Fairies expressed determination as they agreed with their Salamander.

"I'm just as surprised as the Oracion Seis' revival as you; I'll do whatever I can to help!" Ichiya promised them.

"We appreciate it," Erza said.

"Hey guys, where's Michelle?" Lucy inquired.

"She stepped out a while ago to get some fresh air," Gray answered.

"I'll go check on her," Lucy said as she got up and left.

"Wait a minute, I haven't seen Gohan or Wendy around here," Natsu noted. "Where'd they go?"

"Wendy is upstairs in the infirmary," Ichiya supplied. "And I presume that Gohan is the young man she's been trying to heal in there. As I said, most of your comrades were unharmed, but that boy took quite the beating."

"Was he hurt that bad?" Natsu asked.

"Geez, flame brain, did you seriously forget?" Gray said. "That machine guy from the Oracion Seis busted him up pretty badly, and the poison from Cobra didn't help either."

"Come, Natsu, we'll show you," Erza said, and the three mages and Happy went up the stairs to the infirmary. They opened the door slightly and peeked into the room to see the Demi Saiyan resting a small bed on his back. The Sky Dragon Slayer was over him with her hands hanging over him while emitting a magical aura; Gohan's wounds slowly began to heal thanks to Wendy's magic. The girl started sweating while her arms started twitching from exhaustion. The white Exceed standing next to her gave her a look of concern.

"Don't strain yourself, child," Carla advised. "Perhaps you should take a break."

"I'm fine, Carla, I don't need to rest yet," Wendy declined, making Carla shake her head. The door behind them opened and the two looked to see their guildmates coming in. "Natsu, you're finally awake!"

"Yeah, just needed a little rest," Natsu said.

"How's Gohan?" Erza asked the healer.

Wendy faced Gohan and answered, "I've removed the poison from his body and healed most of his wounds, but he hasn't fully recovered his energy yet."

"Why? Did he exhaust himself that much?" Gray questioned.

"I'm not sure," Wendy mused. "His body suffered a lot strain and damage but I don't think it was from the enemy or the poison. It feels… self-inflicted."

"Are you saying his body took greater damage from the fight due to the extra strain?" Erza questioned.

"Yes."

"What are you guys talking about?" Natsu inquired.

"Gohan's hurt even more than we thought because of something other than the enemy's attacks," Happy exclaimed.

"Oh," Natsu said, now understanding.

"What do think caused the extra strain?" Gray wondered.

"Maybe it was that shiny form he used in the fight," Natsu suggested, getting the others to look at him in surprise. "What?"

"That's… actually a good guess, Natsu," Erza stated.

"It would explain why it's taking Wendy longer to heal him," Carla mused.

"Guess we'll have to ask Gohan when he wakes up," Happy said.

The Demi Saiyan being talked about suddenly groaned, getting everyone's attention; he slightly opened his eyes to look around. He gazed at Wendy, but couldn't see her clearly and only saw the image of a female with small wings standing over him channeling a magic aura. "Am I dead? Is that why I'm seeing an angel?" Gohan asked weakly.

Wendy blushed a bit before saying, "You're not dead, Gohan, it's just me, Wendy. Just try to rest while I heal you."

"What happened to the others?" Gohan continued to ask.

"We can talk later, just rest," Wendy said softly. Demi Saiyan became soothed by her voice and fell back asleep.

"Let's go check on Lucy and Michelle," Erza suggested, and everyone else except Carla left the infirmary to allow the Sky Maiden to focus on healing the Saiyan.

In Zentopia's base, the Legion Platoon was requesting an audience with the Archbishop, but they were being shot down by their superior, Cardinal Lapointe. "Please let us through, your eminence, I beg of you!" Lord Byro pleaded. "I must speak with the Archbishop immediately!"

"I'm sorry, Lord Byro, but I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to see him," Lapointe declined. "Only I, Lapointe, am permitted to meet with the Archbishop at this moment. Rest assured, I will pass on your message to him."

"But we're running out of time by the second!" Byro argued. "The Infinity Clock has been taken by the Oracion Seis! The Archbishop..!"

"…Is already aware of the situation! There is no need to panic!" Lapointe stated abruptly.

"Wait, so he, like, knows everything?" Mary Hughes asked.

"Now ain't that a surprise!" Sugarboy commented.

"I'm not sure if I trust him," Samuel said, referring to the Cardinal.

"I know I don't!" Dan stated. "I hate guys like him; you can never tell what they're thinking!"

"I heard he's an influential man from a local parish, and the Archbishop handpicked him to be his assistant," Samuel explained. "However, that information doesn't set me at ease."

"Does he have anything to say about the matter?" Byro asked the Cardinal.

"Yes, in fact, he's stated that he has a new task for the Legion Platoon," Lapointe revealed. Hearing this news made the Legion even more nervous than before.

Inside her cell, Coco wept as cries of agony were heard throughout Zentopia. The Athlete shook as she muttered to herself. "Oh Princess… Gohan… I'm scared. What'll we do?" She then noticed Cardinal Lapointe walking in front of her prison. "Eminence!"

"Coco, traitor of the Legion Platoon, I'm told that you turned your back on our doctrines despite being a Legion Platoon member," Lapointe stated. "Are you prepared to face your punishment?"

"Punish me all you want, I don't regret what I did at all," Coco answered bravely. She suddenly heard a loud banging noise and came up to the bars. "What is that sound?" More screams were heard throughout Zentopia.

In Blue Pegasus, the Fairies all heard the painful ringing sound. They all covered their ears to block out the sound. "It's the Infinity Clock!" Lucy realized.

"It's ringing somewhere out there!" Natsu said. All the fairies stepped outside and looked into the sky with only one thing on their minds: the Neo Oracion Seis.

In an unknown location, the Neo Oracion Seis were gathered together inside their secret base. The Infinity Clock was placed on a large stone pillar. Brain II stood in front of the dangerous artifact while his followers, excluding Rancor, stood before him. "Now the Infinity Clock is in our possession," Midnight spoke. "And very soon, the amplitude limiter will be released."

"So let's hurry up and finish off the churches, ha, ha, ha!" Jackpot laughed.

"More destruction, the end of everything," Racer chuckled.

"The end is coming," Cobra said. "Just one more piece to the puzzle, and we can open up the gates of hell."

"It's weak… the gathering storm of carnage is far too weak," Erigor muttered.

"Indeed, the Infinity Clock lacks its crucial component," Midnight said. "If great power is what we truly desire, there is a great price to be paid! We must make the proper sacrifice! We can all attest to that fact!" All the demons looked at their leader with looks of compliment. "Isn't that right, Rancor?" The Tufflebot then walked into the base carrying five syringes of red liquid. "What do you have there?"

"Just a little something for us to succeed in destroying everything," the Tufflebot revealed. "After my scuffle with the Saiyan, it became apparent that there might be more fighters out there capable of standing against us."

"What?" Erigor said.

"Is that so?" Cobra questioned.

"Yes. I am most certain that the Saiyan survived the battle as did his allies, and not only does Fairy Tail have that Monkey as their powerhouse, but the Cybernetic soldier I fought at one of the Churches works for the Magic Council," Rancor explained. "Since we know from our other sources that the Legion Platoon will make a move against us soon, to prepare for it, I've concocted a serum that will enhance all of your abilities that you use in battle; a combat drug if you will."

"How did you come across such a discovery?" Angel inquired. "Do tell."

"Comrade Jackpot gave these notes on a research project that was kept by Brain I. During his Pre-Head of Bureau of Magical Development, he attempted to make this combat drug for his guild," Rancor went on. "However, progress was slow and the experiments ended in failure continuously. Before your former leader could complete the serum, his laboratory was destroyed by a wizard child with exceptionally enormous magic energy. But I managed to find the flaw in his experiments and found the one component necessary for the drug's perfection: a rare liquid element that cannot be found nearly anywhere; but I found it and put it to good use." The Tufflebot placed the tray forward, presenting the syringes to his masters. "Now I offer you the strength to accomplish your dreams, to crush your foes and bring this world to its end! Take these serums and attain new levels of power; but beware, the drug will not last forever and its effects are temporary, so you must use them wisely."

The Five Demons took their serums and examined its glory. "Magnificent! True divine beauty," Angel commented.

"Heh, heh. Now we can truly destroy everything," Racer snarled.

"I gotta admit, Rancor, I'm surprised you did this for us. I thought you didn't like being forced to be our servant; you said that your purpose was to avenge your people and to achieve world domination," Cobra pointed out his suspicion. "So, what exactly is your game here?"

Rancor bowed his head and replied, "I have no ulterior motive; I am only assisting my comrades in bringing chaos to this world. I was created to destroy my world as long as there were Saiyans living in it. Now, there is on here, and it's one of the Saiyan monkeys that defeated me and sent me here. If he's going to do all he can to protect this world, then I'll do all I can to ensure its destruction, even if it means to serve the Neo Oracion Seis to the end. Our enemies that have defeated us have joined forces, so our revenge against them is linked, and we must cooperate to see them fall."

The Six Demons seemed satisfied with the Tuffle's answer. "I see. Well then, Rancor, welcome to the Neo Oracion Seis. You'll fit right in. Let us destroy our enemies and the world they love, together."

"It will be my greatest pleasure," Rancor said while he thought, _"And when the serum ends all of your pathetic lives, I will rise and destroy both worlds the Saiyan child protects… alone!"_

"Now go forth! We'll move the hands of time, forcing them forward until this world is history!" Midnight ordered while raising his arms, and each member of the Neo Oracion Seis went out to carry out their tasks.

Back inside the Blue Pegasus guild hall, Wendy had finished healing the Demi Saiyan and went to join the other Fairies. The Son of Goku was still sound asleep when he started to have a strange dream. In his mind, Gohan wandered around in black space when he heard the sound of constant arguing; he followed the yelling until he spotted the sources, which were two versions of him. One of them was him wearing his father's martial arts uniform while the other was him in his Super Saiyan form wearing the Saiyan armor and with his tail. "This is all your fault! We almost died because of you!" the black haired Gohan shouted.

"My fault?! You're the coward here, not me!" the blond Gohan stated. "It's because of your weakness that we can never reach our true potential!"

"Our true potential almost ended in the deaths of loved ones!" base Gohan argued.

"At least it's better than having them die to protect us when we're too afraid or weak to fight!" Super Saiyan Gohan yelled back.

Gohan looked back and forth as the two versions of him were at each other's throats. "Whoa, guys. Um, maybe you should calm down first," he suggested. The two Gohans then glanced at the original and glowered.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS SINCE YOU CAN'T DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE!" they yelled in unison.

"What I am? Wait, hold on, where am I and what's going on?" Gohan questioned.

"This is your mind, where your inner thoughts resign," the black-haired Gohan supplied. "I am the manifestation of your human half; I have your thoughts and feelings."

"And I'm the manifestation of your Saiyan half, I embodied all of your instincts and emotions, especially rage!" Saiyan Gohan said.

"Then, what does that make me?" the Demi Saiyan asked.

"That's up for you to decide," Human Gohan told him.

"Am I a Saiyan?" Gohan inquired.

"Yet you think and act mostly human," said Saiyan Gohan. "Your way of life is that of your human raising."

"Then does that mean I am human?" Gohan questioned.

"But you posses the powers of a Saiyan, as well as their battle instincts," Human Gohan answered.

"So which is it? Am I both or neither?" Gohan asked.

"When you figure it out, let us know," Saiyan Gohan said. "Until then, we'll go back to arguing!" The Son of Goku was suddenly pulled out of his own mindscape; the last thing he saw was his human half emitting a milky white aura while his Saiyan half unleashed a fiery golden one. The Demi Saiyan's eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up. He looked around and saw that the place he was in was still unfamiliar to him. Gohan then grasped his head as he remembered all that happened to him up to this point. _"I can sense the others are fine, but where are they?"_ he thought. The Z fighter then noticed some new clothes were placed beside him to replace his old ones; he quickly changed into them and made his way over to the infirmary exit. Just as he opened the door, the Sky maiden fell forward while carrying a tray of food. Gohan instinctively caught her by the hands; the two looked at each other as their hands touched before blushing and separating.

"It's good to see you awake, Gohan," Wendy said happily. "I brought you some food, in case you're hungry."

Right on cue, the Demi Saiyan's stomach growled, making him blush. "Guess I must've worked up an appetite," Gohan mused. He took the food from the youngest Dragon Slayer and sat down to eat. Wendy sat beside him and watched him fill his stomach. "Would you like some, Wendy?" the Saiyan asked while offering some of his food to his friend.

"Oh no, I'm not hungry," Wendy told him.

Gohan shrugged as he went back to eating. When he finished, he looked at Wendy and noticed that she had a small bandage on her forehead. "Wendy… your forehead," Gohan noted as he remembered what Rancor did to her. "Rancor did this, didn't he? I'm so sorry."

"Oh this, it's nothing," Wendy said while touching her forehead. "It's not your fault."

"But it is my fault," Gohan argued. "If I had just finished Rancor and the others when I had the chance, you guys wouldn't have been in danger; instead, you were almost killed!"

"But we weren't because you saved us," Wendy reminded him.

"I wouldn't have had to if I didn't fall for Rancor's trap," Gohan stated sadly. "I failed… again."

The Sky Maiden felt her friend's dismay and placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Come on, Gohan, everyone's waiting for you downstairs. They're all worried about you," she told him. The half Saiyan nodded and the two kids made their way to main hall. When they got there, all of the fairies gathered around the Son of Goku.

"Hey Gohan, how are you feeling?" Natsu asked the Saiyan.

"I'm fine, Natsu," Gohan replied.

"Kid, what you did at the tombs was beyond incredible," Gray remarked.

"It was unreal," Gajeel added.

"Amazing," Juvia stated.

"Crazy!" Lucy exclaimed.

Everyone started talking about what they thought about the Z Fighter's display of power against the Neo Oracion Seis before he finally held up his hands to get everyone to stop talking and give him some space. "Looks guys, I appreciate your concern and praise for me, but I don't deserve it," the Saiyan hybrid spoke, confusing everyone.

"Why do you say that, Gohan?" Erza inquired.

"Because I almost got you all killed," Gohan answered.

"Uh Gohan, did that machine damage your brain?" Natsu asked, earning him a slap from Lucy.

"What Natsu means is, how did you almost get us killed?" the Celestial Mage inquired.

"If I had finished Rancor sooner, you wouldn't have had to step in and risk your lives to help me," Gohan said.

"But Gohan, that's what friends do," said Wendy.

"Yeah bro, you can't blame yourself," agreed Romeo.

"But I had the power to end Rancor from the start and I noticed that he was significantly weaker than the last time we fought. Yet, I allowed myself to be fooled and humiliated in defeat so that my friends had to watch me get beaten up and try to save before Rancor tried to kill them just to hurt me." said Gohan as he lowered his head. "If I wasn't so weak I could've stopped them and prevented this whole crisis from happening."

All of the Fairies frowned at the Demi Saiyan's words; the Salamander then stood in front of him and asked "So you think you're weak huh?" Natsu then threw a flaming fist at the Saiyan. Sensing the mage's energy going active, Gohan managed to react fast enough to evade the attack. The other mages freaked out as the Son of Igneel unleashed a barrage of blazing blows on the Son of Goku. The Z Fighter effortlessly dodged every blow, but his concentration slipped as he thought back to his fight with Rancor, allowing Natsu to uppercut him in the chin. Gohan simply lowered his head, completely unfazed by the Dragon Slayer's attack. Natsu then tried to kick the Saiyan, but he grabbed his ankle and slammed him onto the floor before pinning him down. "Now, is there a reason why you attacked me?" Gohan inquired.

"Just ad to prove a point," answered Natsu. "A weak fighter could do this, and you're about one of the strongest people I know," Gohan then released the Fire Dragon and let him up. "So you made a mistake, big deal. All the more reason for you to face that rust bucket again and turn him into a scrap of metal!"

"Natsu is right Gohan," said Erza. "You shouldn't let this small loss get to you,"

"Yeah, we know what it's like, but as members of Fairy Tail, we come back stronger and get our payback!" said Gray. The Fairies cheered in mutual agreement which made Gohan smile a bit.

"Ah, so the mysterious young man awakens, meeeeeen," said Ichiya appearing behind the Saiyan and startling him.

"Who are you?!" Gohan asked the tiny age.

"Don't worry Gohan, this is just one of our allies," Erza explained. "This is Ichiya, a member of Blue Pegasus,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you boy, and I must say that you such a strange parfum," said Ichiya as he shook Gohan's hand and sniffed him. "It's unusual and yet…very exquisite."

"Uh thanks…I think," said Gohan.

Suddenly, Master Bob appeared and examined the boy. "Oh my, this young man sure is quite the looker, and so muscular for his age," he stated, creeping Gohan out.

"Uh, nice to meet you uh," Gohan started to say before he whispered to Wendy. "Who is this?"

"This is the Blue Pegasus Guild Master Bob," she answered.

"So this is a guy?" Gohan asked.

"Well aren't you adorable, I could eat you up," said Bob making Gohan take a step back.

Seeing that the Saiyan was no longer depressed, Titania came up to him and said "Gohan, we realize that you've been a lot, but we have many questions that need to be answered,"

"Yeah, like who was that red machine guy you fought?" asked Natsu.

"What did he mean when he said he wanted to end some war between your people and his people?" asked Gray.

"Why don't we start with what are you exactly?" asked Carla.

"Carla," Wendy whispered to her cat.

"I'm just trying to get some answers child, just like the rest of us!" said the white exceed.

Gohan sighed as he knew he would have to tell them some things about himself, he just hoped that it wouldn't changed how they saw him or that they wouldn't abandoned him since he was different. "Alright, I'll explain everything. I'll start with Carla's question." said the Demi Saiyan. "As you can tell, I'm not normal even among mages; I'm a Saiyan or half Saiyan anyway,"

"That's what Rancor called you," stated Romeo.

"What exactly is a Saiyan?" asked Erza.

"The Saiyans are a race of warriors, they were known and feared as they strongest," answered Gohan. "Every Saiyan is born with the unique ability to fight in any kind of environment, so they're usually placed on the battlefield at a very young age. They spend their lives constantly training to get stronger, and after every battle or near death experience, they gain a major boost in power."

"Sounds like my kind of people," said Natsu and Gajeel.

"No surprise, you guys act just like them." said Gohan.

"You said that Saiyans were placed on the battlefield at a young age, has that ever happened to you?" Wendy inquired.

Gohan nodded "I've been in life or death battles since I was four,"

"Whoa, is that why you're so strong?" asked Natsu.

"Somewhat," said Gohan.

"What about that machine you fought?" asked Gray.

"Rancor used to be a machine called the Hatchiyak," Gohan. "He was created by a Tuffle,"

"So, I' guessing the Saiyans and these Tuffles have some history," said Lucy.

Gohan nodded "While the Saiyans were known for their superior strength, the Tuffles are recognized by their keen Intelligence, they're said to be the smartest in existence. Long before I was born, the Saiyans and the Tuffles used to live together in the same home, using their talents to aid each other and co-exist; but then something happened, a war broke out between the two races. The Saiyans relied on their brute force while the Tuffles used their unmatched genius to gain the upper hand. Then something changed the outcome of the war and allowed the Saiyans to triumph, there was one Saiyan who was capable of outsmarting the Tuffles despite their brain power, and he singlehandedly lead the warriors to victory, his name was King Vegeta, the ruler of all Saiyans." The mages listened attentively to the Demi Saiyan's tale. "King Vegeta came up a strategy that allowed the Saiyans to triumph; they used the Oozaru form to overpower the Tuffles."

"The Oozaru form?" asked Lily.

"It's where Saiyans transform into a giant rampaging ape during the full moon," Gohan explained. "The Oozaru is known for wiping out civilizations in an instant," Everyone immediately backed away from the Demi Saiyan in fear, which made him smile sheepishly. "Don't worry, Saiyans have to have their tails in order to transform, so I won't be going Oozaru any time soon," The mages sighed in relief and resumed listening to the boy's story. "Anyway, the Saiyans managed to wipe out nearly every single Tuffle until there was only one left, Dr. Raichi. He was said to be the smartest of all Tuffles. He planned to escape the onslaught by fleeing in a ship he made, and with him was a machine he invented, the Hatchiyak."

"You mean Rancor was created during this war?" asked Levy.

"Then why didn't they use it to win the war? Seems like a waste good metal if you ask me," commented Gajeel.

"Well, the Hatchiyak wasn't meant for fighting back then, it was suppose to sustain Raichi's life." said Gohan. "Before the last Tuffle could escape, he was attacked by the Oozaru and struck down, which marked the complete extinction of the Tuffle race. But then, thirty years later after the Saiyans were wiped out by an evil tyrant, Raichi returned and he had only thing in mind, to eradicate all Super Saiyans!"

"Didn't Rancor say something like that," asked Happy.

"What exactly is a Super Saiyan?" asked Erza.

Gohan smiled as his haired turned gold, his black eyes became teal, and his body started emitting a fiery gold aura. "This is a Super Saiyan," he said. All of the Fairies stared at their guildmate in awe; although they had already seen him in this form, they'd never seen it up close, it was almost mesmerizing. The Sky Maiden even took a few steps towards the Demi Saiyan and held out her half to touch him; she flinched a bit from his aura stinging her before touching his arm.

"Amazing, you're radiating such power," said Wendy as he let him go. "It's fierce and calm at the same time."

"So, what can you do in this form?" asked Natsu.

"This form amplifies my strength, speed, and durability as well as my Ki," Gohan. "My attacks become even more powerful and I'm capable of fighting even stronger opponents."

"What about that second form you used?" asked Erza.

"That's my _Super_ Super Saiyan form," said Gohan. "It a form that exceeds the Super Saiyan, hence the name."

"Isn't there a better name for it?" asked Gray.

"Yeah, how about Super Saiyan level 2?" asked Natsu.

"Why not just call it Super Saiyan 2?" asked Romeo.

"Super Saiyan 2? I like it," agreed Gohan.

"So, does this form increase your abilities as well," asked Lily.

Gohan nodded "It's an essentially powerful form that can only be gained by transcending and mastering the Super Saiyan state. As far as I know, I'm the first and only Saiyan to achieve this form,"

"So that would make you the strongest Saiyan,"

"Yeah, and the cockiest, based on what we saw during your fight," pointed out Gajeel.

"Shut up Gajeel!" said Levy.

"No, he's right. It weakens that seems to take effect whenever I enter that form. The power gets to my head and I become so cocky that I don't think rationally anymore; I tend to give in to my Saiyan instincts and seek to face my opponents at their best and make them suffer." The Son of Goku looked down in sadness. "I've actually only used this form twice, I haven't fully mastered it yet so I can't control myself and the amount of power I use is lessen to a s much as my body can currently handle."

"I see, which means you need to get back into training huh?" asked Elfman. "Like a real man!"

"He's still a kid though," said Lisanna.

"So what happened with Raichi's plan to kill the surviving Saiyan?" asked Lucy.

"At the time Raichi returned, there were only four Saiyans; me, my father, the Saiyan Prince Vegeta and his son, Trunks." said Gohan.

"Trunks is a Saiyan too?" asked a fascinated Mira. "And he's a prince?"

"Sort of. Anyway, even though there were only four Saiyans left, Raichi wanted to wipe us out; so he used the Hatchiyak to release this dangerous substance known as the Destron Gas." said Gohan "It was a strange chemical capable of disturbing my concentration when I use Ki and in three days, the gas would've killed everyone."

"This mad doctor was really willing to kill everyone just to get the four of you?"

Gohan nodded "That's usually how my foes are. So, in order to stop the gases, we had to destroy the Destron Generators emitting them. The four Saiyans and my mentor Piccolo split up and went after every generator; we had to fight several of Raichi's monsters and machines in order to get to them. Eventually there only one left but this was guarded differently than the others, its bodyguards were ghost warriors."

"Whoa, you fought ghosts?!"

"Well, I wouldn't really call them ghost, more like manifestations of the grudges they held against the Saiyan, or to be more precise, the Saiyan that defeated them in battle, my father." said Gohan. "These four ghost warriors weren't strong enough to beat us, but the machine they guard prevented us from killing them again and we couldn't destroy the machine due our powers weakening from the gas which also created an impenetrable barrier around it. Eventually, the gas weakened us so much that we could no longer fight the ghost warriors, so they prepared to finish us off, but before they could, Trunks' mother came with the antidote; with the gas neutralized and our powers restored, we quickly defeated the ghost warriors and destroyed the machine. We thought we had won but we later found out that there was still one more generator which was the original Hatchiyak and this was guarded by Dr. Raichi himself. He told us that the machine absorbs negative energy formed by the grudges held against the Saiyans by the entire Tuffle race. Vegeta managed to kill Raichi, but it turned out that he was also a ghost warrior that the machine generated the night he died."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. When Raichi was defeated; the Hatchiyak absorbed the last bit it needed to reach full power. It then transformed into the red giant you all saw me fight, but its power was much greater than it is now, it even surpassed the Legendary Super Saiyan's power." said Gohan.

"Legendary Super Saiyan?"

"Basically the most powerful Saiyan in all of history and someone you don't wanna meet, trust me." answered Gohan. "With its form and power, the Hatchiyak completely stomped us in battle, but in the end we managed to defeat it by combining our strengths into a super strong attack that destroyed the Hatchiyak…or so I thought, but it's clear that it survived and acquired some new abilities even though his power is significantly weaker than before." The Demi Saiyan then looked down in shame. "I could've ended him sooner but I didn't, I let my pride get the best of me and my Saiyan instincts took control of me. I'm so sorry guys, I got reckless and cocky and you all almost died because of it. But I won't make that mistake again! I'm going to master the Super Saiyan 2 and I'll confront Rancor again; and this time, I'll end him for sure!" The Son of Goku clenched his right fist and put on a serious look.

Natsu smirked "Now that's what I'm talking about! Getting payback at those jerks, because Fairy Tail won't let this go that easily!"

"Yeah! We're gonna stop the Infinity Clock and complete the mission my dad gave us!" said Lucy.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" asked Gray. "I'm itching for a fight with those demons!"

"First, let's head back to the guild hall so that we can plan our next move," said Erza.

"I'd be more than happy to give you and your guild a ride my dear honey," Ichiya offered to the scarlet mage.

"T-Thank you," Erza stammered.

"Would you mind dropping me off as well?" Lyon asked Ichiya who nodded. The Ice mage then asked the Saiyan "Should I alert Trunks of what's been going on? This is his enemy too; perhaps you'll need his help to beat it."

"No!" answered Gohan. "If Trunks is here, than he shouldn't be bothered by this. He deserves a break from fighting! I'm going take down Rancor…alone!" Lyon didn't respond for a moment before nodding and leaving to get aboard the Christina; all of the fairies began exiting the Blue Pegasus guild hall, only the half Saiyan stayed behind for a few minutes. _"I'll stop Rancor…and those Oracion Seis alone! My friends will never be put in harm's way because of me again; I'll stake my life on! it"_

"Gohan, are you coming?" Wendy called to the Z Fighter.

"I'm right behind you!" said Gohan as he began following his friends. All the Fairies were soon abroad the flying ship and quickly taken back to their guild. At the Guild hall, as the mages were discussing their next plan of attack while the Demi Saiyan said he wanted be alone to figure out some things and went upstairs but was actually still listening to the conversation, the guild were joined by the Thunder Legion who told them of the rumors about two suspects that were responsible for the destruction of local churches, a hooded man wielding a scythe and another with incredible speed; Erigor, and Racer. While they discussing things, Kinana got up and started writing some message on the wall in ancient Potamelian while muttering something from her unknown connection to the Poison Dragon Slayer.

At a small town in the mountains, it was late at night as Angel, Cobra, Grim Reaper, Jackpot, Racer, and Rancor stood on top of a hill, staring out into the distant of their intended target, the church halls. Numerous rune knights stood in front of the church halls, ready to defend it against any attack. "I can hear them. There are four churches in this area." Cobra informed his comrades. "The priests have already been taken away, and the guards don't have a clue of what's really going on."

"It sounds like the perfect time for boom, boom, ka-boom! Let's get this party started!" cheered Jackpot.

"Oh yes! Carnage! Destruction!" Racer cackled.

"I see we're still standing here talking about, when we could be having just as much fun as we did yesterday," suggested Angel while smiling.

"What fun?" asked Erigor with a puzzled look. "I can't seem to remember anything that happened to us yesterday," His face expressed grief and pain as he tried to recall past events but was incapable of doing so.

"It's not necessary for you to remember anything; just do what we tell you and nothing more." Angel told him.

"I see, then I will carry out the instructions that I am given," the wind mage complied.

"We've wasted too much time already, let's move!" ordered Cobra. The four mages and the two machines quickly advanced towards their targets; Angel, Cobra, and Rancor got to theirs first. The Tufflebot immediately shot an energy blast at the building, creating an explosion that alerted the soldiers of their presence.

"It's the Oracion Seis!" exclaimed one knight.

"Now men! We must protect the church!" said another.

"For these wretched and miserable souls, the cost is twenty!" declared Angel as she placed her hand to her chest and it started glowing. "Bow and tremble before an Angel's glory!" She tossed two gold coins into the air as they shined brightly; a muscular bearded man with four arms, two and wings suddenly appeared, carrying a giant gold hammer. It swung its weapon smashing a few soldiers and knocking others aside with the force of his attack.

Cobra wandered over to the building; his magic allowed him to hear the sounds if the frantic breathing from the priest hiding deep below the church hall from within a magic circle. "Concealment magic huh?" he muttered before cracking his neck and grinning. "What a pathetic little trick!" The Dragon Slayer released a strong sound wave that crumbled the building. More soldiers appeared and charged at the demons.

"Miserable humans," muttered Rancor before emitting a kiai wave that set the area in flames; the two humans and the machine stood with the burning rumble that was once church hall.

"How unsophisticated," Angel commented.

"Maybe so, but our work here is done," said Cobra. "What about the Anti-link?"

"That's been done as well. Ah Cobra, always so cold and direct…" Angel said while smiling at her comrade. "But those are the two things I admire most about you."

"She's all I ever cared about, but she's gone now." muttered Cobra. "Pulled from my hands…and all I have now is nothing."

"Nothing but delicious power that is," Angel corrected him.

"Power from misery. This sorrow that consumes my soul is the only thing still driving me forward," stated Cobra as he glanced at his hand. "The pain can only end when the world itself ends, there is no other way!"

"Yes, we must take our strength from wherever we can until our ultimate goal is reached." said Angel. "Our failures and frustration, all those years of pain and suffering we've endured…but those are the very things that define the Neo Oracion Seis."

" _Heh! And here I thought you humans could never understand me, perhaps that was the major flaw the Tuffles had."_ thought Rancor. _"My people never believed that a Saiyan could ever match their intelligence. Raichi didn't think there was a warrior that could match my strength, let alone five and I thought humans could never know the pain that fuels my very existence."_ the Tufflebot laughed again, gaining his masters' attention.

"I thought machines could feel emotions, so what could possibly make you laugh?" asked Angel.

"Since I can't hear your thoughts, why don't you tell us what's on your mind," said Cobra.

"We're not different Oracion." said Rancor. "The pain that you feel and use to get stronger, I feel it too. The hatred and anguish the Tuffles feel towards the Saiyans, the need to seek revenge against the father of that Saiyan brat for defeating the warrior who souls live within me, and now the desire to slay that Saiyan monkey for daring to stand in my way, that is what defines me!"

"Heh! I can't hear your thoughts, but I can feel your soul," said Cobra.

"Yes, and It's as dark as ours, you truly do belong with the Neo Oracion Seis," agreed Angel. "It's nice to know there are others from different who feel the same way we do,"

"Yes, it is." said Rancor as he thought. _"It almost makes me not wanna end your lives…almost!"_

At Zentopia, Lord Byro, Dan, Mary Hughes, Samuel, and Sugarboy had all assembled together and were kneeling before their superior, Cardinal Lapointe. "My lord, the Legion Platoon is here as you requested." The Legion leader said.

"I've summoned you for one reason, to inform you that your powers will be considerably greater as of today," said Lapointe.

"You mean like, we're gonna be getting new members on the team or something? Is that it?" asked Hughes.

"Yes, the Archbishop himself has requested these new additions," said Lapointe. "Just three. One hand-picked from an extremely select group; great Zentopia's forbidden prison cell." The Legion Platoon were surprised from this.

"What kind of person are we dealing with here?" asked Dan.

Sounds of heavy chains and large footsteps echoed through the hall from behind the Cardinal; the Legion Platoon gasped in horror as they saw a giant green being slowly walking towards while wrapped in chains and being escorted by four Zentopian guards. The creature had a long green neck with a giant cube shaped head with two antennas. His body consisted of a square shape with cube stubs for hands and feet, he wore tan clothing and red pants with his small bent tail sticking out. The chains were wrapped around his entire body with red balls at each end. His eyes were small white pupils over a large toothy smile.

"It's a demon," muttered Byro.

"What in the heck is that thing?!" asked the Knight.

"I don't know but…he can't be human." said Hughes.

" _Hey there gang! Old Guttman Kubrick is here and ready to play!"_ the creature spoke to the Legion with his mind.

"He's totally inside my head!" said Hughes.

"It's telepathy," explained Byro.

"It sounds so bizarre!" said Dan.

Guttman stepped forward and hit his head against the archway. He groaned as he struggled to get through; the chain orbs started to glow until they eventually shattered and the green being began emitting a red magical aura. _"That didn't hurt someone like me!"_ he exclaimed as his aura exploded, destroying his chains and blowing the guards away.

"This creature is the Master of Rapture Magic. His power is known through Fiore. They call him Guttman the Cleaner." said Byro.

" _Sorry, that was kind of rude of me,"_ Guttman apologized while smiling.

"This _thing_ …will be joining my beloved Legion Platoon?" questioned Byro in disbelief.

"He is, whether you like it or not!" replied Lapointe making Byro growl. "Our next recruit is someone you all should be familiar with,"

A woman in her thirties suddenly appeared. She had scruffy long dirty blonde hair, normal sized bust and body physique, and blue eyes that has runes glowing of holy light. She was dressed in a modified nun's outfit that made her look like the cross between a Warrior and a Nun. She also wore pants underneath her slited skirt, enchanted chainmail, purity seals of Zentopia on her shoulders, and armored gloves and boots. She also had a lute hanging from her side. "Long time, no see Legion Platoon." the Nun greeted her new comrades.

"No way, Lady Solaseed!" exclaimed Dan.

"Dan, you're not still chasing after women I hope," said Solaseed.

"My Lady, I can't believe you're here!" said Hughes.

"Lapointe has told me everything; it seems the Legion has their hands full with these new threats." commented Solaseed. "I didn't think I would be called into battle again after retiring."

"Solaseed, if you're here then you know of the Archbishop's condition," said Byro to which the Nun nodded. "Then why didn't you heal him with your magic?"

"Byro, so serious." Solaseed nodded. "I wanted to, but his grace refuses to let my talents be wasted on him when it should be used on our followers. No one has been allowed to see the Archbishop since his condition grew even worse; Lapointe has agreed to let me see his grace if I completed the missions he assigned me on. Joining you Platoon, was given to me recently, his grace has made stopping the Infinity Clock top priority no matter what."

"Hmm, I don't like this one bit," said Byro.

"Neither do I, but we must obey the Archbishop who's demands have been made clear by Lapointe." said Solaseed. "But rest assured, once the threat has ended, I will do all I can to relieve his grace of his illness."

" _Welcome abroad, happy to have you on the team!"_ said Guttman.

"These are some real heavy hitters huh?" said Sugarboy. "Things are really getting spicy!"

"I wonder who our final member will be," said Samuel.

"Our last member is a reserve member of the Legion Platoon who has loyally served Zentopia for years; he was relieved of duty sometime ago, but I have requested that he be brought back." said Lapointe. The other Legion members were confused about this info but Byro's grew wide eyes at this calm.

"Cardinal, have you gone insane?!" questioned Byro.

Appearing before the Legion was a 9 foot tall heavily armored Machias covered in head to toe with large layered pauldrons, and the pteruges protecting the elbow and thigh joints as it was functionally distinct from the other patterns, bearing additional plating and shield generators. He also has patterns of purity seals of Zentopia attached below on his shoulder pauldrons, an insignia of the Church on his left shoulder, and a set of robes over his waist, looking like a loincloth. His helmet-like face was that of the Crusades-era knight's helmet whose visors glow red which gave quite an intimidating and unsettling look. "I'm ready to fortify my position," the Juggernaut said as he knelt before the Cardinal.

"Centurion," muttered Byro.

"Whoa, who's the big guy?" asked Hughes. "He like, can't be human either,"

"He isn't," replied Samuel. "Centurion is an artificial being; a Machias created by Zentopia's most advanced technicians. He was meant to be our secret weapon. He is one of the only machines capable of using magic, so I've heard."

"Lapointe, you can't be serious about this! Centurion possesses dangerous magic and brute strength! He solely devoted to the Archbishop's will beyond reasoning; he was deemed too reckless to rely on, I personally took part in his deactivation when I was still a mere soldier!" argued Byro.

"This is my decision and the Archbishop has allowed it!" said Lapointe. "Centurion's strength maybe necessary when dealing with the Neo Oracion Seis' metal monstrosity or Fairy Tail's young powerhouse! We must do what we can to protect our doctrines and shine our true light through the darkness!"

Byro was about to speak again but Centurion appeared before him and said "I detect that you truly want the best for Zentopia Lord Byro, which is precisely what I'm programmed to want as well. I know I have taken reckless actions in the past, but I have adapted to situation and made that I won't make the same mistakes!" the Zentopian Android knelt in front of the Legion commander. "I give you my word that I will not let you down; but if you wish you may deactivate me at anytime or when the crisis has past."

The Leader of the Legion growled but gave in "Very well,"

Back at Fairy Tail, after Kinana finished writing her message Levy and Freed managed to translate it into English. They learned that Will Neville, the author of the Key of the Starry Heavens was also a Celestial Wizard who had many disciples and that after he passed away, they all went into hiding. They also learned that Will Neville was once a Cardinal of Zentopia, and that he mysteriously left for several years before appearing again as simple author of children's books. Eventually they all agreed that the best course of action would be to figure out where their enemies would strike next so that they could stop them. At that moment, the half Saiyan came downstairs wearing his mentor's Gi and a guilty look on his face. "Oh Gohan, we could use your help. We're trying to figure out where the Oracion Seis would be," said Wendy to the Saiyan; he gave no reply and just continued towards the door.

"Hey man, didn't you hear her? We need to learn where those jerks are gonna be!" said Natsu.

"Where are you going?!" asked Gray.

"Is something the matter?" asked Erza.

Gohan then stopped at the door and said "Look guys, I know you wanna get back at those guys for what they did…but I think it's best if you let me take care of them…myself."

"WHAT?!" screamed the Fairies.

"What are you saying child?!" asked Carla.

"Gohan, you can't take the Oracion Seis and Rancor by yourself!" cried Happy.

"Indeed, you would just be ensuring your own defeat," said Lily.

"Maybe he's right," suggested Michelle. "He defeated all of them by himself before, so he could probably do it again,"

"No he's not right! And we're not gonna let him do this!" said Lucy.

"Is this still about you blaming yourself for what happened in the tomb?" asked Romeo.

"No! This is about me being the only one who knows what Rancor is truly capable of, so I have to stop him now while he's weak!" answered Gohan while facing them. "And I don't want anyone I care about getting hurt in the process…again!"

"Gohan, you can't expect us to just sit here and let you go to face those demons alone," said Mira.

"Yeah! A real man put his faith in his friends as well as himself," said Elfman.

"We're a guild and guildmates lookout for each other," said Natsu. "Which means if you're gonna be a part of Fairy Tail, you gotta let us watch your back as much as you watch ours!"

Gohan looked away before saying "Actually…I was about to ask how to remove the guild mark,"

"YOU'RE LEAVING?!" the Guild cried again.

"You can't just leave and face the Oracion Seis alone!" said Gray.

"We understand you want to protect us, but take it from us, leaving isn't the answer," said Erza.

"You don't understand!" argued Gohan. "My entire life I've had people risk their lives for me, put themselves in harm's way because I wasn't strong enough or because I made mistakes…my loved ones have even died for me at times, I don't want that to happen again."

"Even if you do leave do you really think that we'll just forget you or everything that's happened to us since we met you?" "We still need to stop the Oracion Seis like we did 7 year ago."

"Besides, haven't you just brought your dead friends back to life with the Dragon Balls anyway?"

"THE DRAGON BALLS CAN'T FIX EVERYTHING!" Gohan shouted as he smashed a table; the mages stared at the Saiyan with wide eyes, they've never seen him this angry. "I've had to watch people get struck down because of me! Take attacks that were meant to kill me! Sacrifice themselves in my place! My mentor died for me, my friends almost died for me…my father is dead…because of, me,"

Everyone was afraid to ask at first before Natsu did "What happened to you dad?"

"I-I was fighting to stop a monster, he believed in me so much, he saw my power and wanted me to use it, he thought I could be a hero…like him," said Gohan. "But I couldn't cause I'm not like him. I messed up, I let myself get too cocky,"

"You mean with the Super Saiyan 2 form?"

Gohan nodded "It was the first time I used it. I let myself become a monster even to the monster I was fighting. My father warned me to end it when I had the chance, but I didn't listen. T-Then, that monster decided to kill himself and everyone I was suppost to protect with him; he wanted to kill me so bad that he would stop at nothing to do it. I remember every one of my friends trying to think of a way to stop him but their faces was full of hopelessness. I grieved at my failure and regretted not listening to my dad. I never felt so powerless before; but then my dad figured out a way to save everyone, except himself. He said it was the only thing he could think of and he did it without a second thought or regret. I can still remember the smile he gave me before he vanished before my eyes." Tears started to spill from the half Saiyan's face. "It was all in vain too. That monster survived and came back and killed Trunks, I may have beaten him but now my dad is gone and I'm still here!"

"Why didn't you bring him back with the Dragon Balls?"

"I found myself here not long after the fight ended, and even if I stayed I wouldn't be able to! The Dragon Balls can only resurrect a person once; this was my dad's 2nd death! The first one was also to save me from his evil older brother! He sacrificed himself by letting my mentor kill him and his brother so that I would be saved!" Gohan then fell to his knees as he continued crying. "The Dragon Balls may be able to bring the dead back to life, BUT IT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THE PAIN I FEEL FROM WATCHING THEM DIE! The suffering my loved ones all went through for my sake, I can't watch that happen again, I JUST CAN'T!

Everyone now understood a little about the Saiyan; they felt more sorry for him than before, no child should have to go through this kind of endurance especially at a young age. The Sky Maiden approached the Saiyan and comforted him. "I'm sorry you went through that Gohan, but you can't just leave us because you're afraid. You don't even know if things will be same for us as they were for your friends,"

"Who's to say they won't? What if I can't protect you guys because I'm not like my father?" asked Gohan.

"Then stop trying to be! You're not your father, you're you! So be you!" said Natsu.

"Believe me Gohan, some of us know what's it's like to have our dear ones sacrifice themselves, even die for our sakes," said Erza."But you can't let that stop you from being with them."

"Yeah. Personally I'm jealous of you; your friends at least get a second chance," said Gray.

"Feels more like we're just prolonging the inevitable or their pain," said Gohan. "It's like…I get to watch it all over again,"

"I'm sorry that your dad died, but take from someone who also has a deceased father," said Lucy. "My dad wanted me to live my life to the fullest even when he's gone and I'm sure your dad wants the same for you."

"Your father gave up his life so that you continued to be with your loved ones, not push them away,"

Wendy helped the Z Fighter to his feet and held his left hand "If you're afraid you can't protect your friends then trust that they can protect themselves. Don't give up on them." she said.

"We can beat those Oracion jerks and protect everyone if we stay together! Fairy Tail protects its members not matter what!" exclaimed Natsu.

Gohan smiled as he wiped his face with his right hand. "Thanks guys, that really helped me."

"So, you're not gonna leave us?"

"Nah! It wouldn't be any fun if I went to save the world by myself," joked the Saiyan.

The Sky Dragon Slayer hugged him out of joy, getting an 'aw' from those watching; the Z Fighter and the Sky mage turned red and quickly separated, making everyone else laugh. Gohan just smiled at Wendy who smiled back before they both laughed as well. The sleeping Card mage suddenly woke up from the noise. "Would you keep it down? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep," she yawned.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that Cana? You've practically been asleep all day." said Wakaba.

Cana stood up and rubbed her eye. "Yeah, but I just can't seem to wake up for some reason." She then held up her cards and asked "Now, do you boys and girls wanna find the Oracion Seis or what?"

"That's right! You can use your fortunetelling to find them!" stated Erza. This got everyone's interest.

"You bet I can!" Cana said proudly while winking.

Back at Zentopia, the Legion Platoon along with their new members were gathered before Cardinal Lapointe who was relaying their new assignments to them. "So the Oracion Seis were the ones behind the church attack?" Byro inquired. "Are you absolutely sure of this your eminence?"

"I am, and although their ultimate objective remains a mystery to us, it is fair to assume that these blasphemous acts will only continue," said Lapointe.

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" said Centurion.

"Despicable! How can anyone indulge in such wickedness?" asked Solaseed. "We cannot let this stand!"

"Uh if you don't mind you're eminence, I'd like to ask a small favor," stated Dan.

"Silence Dan!" ordered Byro.

"You have a request?" asked a curious Lapointe. "Please share,"

"If we're able to stop the Oracion Seis, in return, will you release Coco out of prison?" requested the Knight.

"We know that going against our doctrines is like totally a big deal, but Coco has been a part of Zentopia her whole life; the church practically raised her." pleaded Hughes. "Seriously, if you forgive her I know she'd be useful to the Archbishop."

"I've known Coco since she was a little girl, I taught her myself!" said Solaseed. "She would never betray us without a reason; please give her another chance!"

"We may consider it, but that decision hinders on whether you complete your mission and accomplish one special task," replied Lapointe. "That boy who has interfered with our plans, I heard that Coco interacted with him and I believe that he may be the reason she turned traitor. If you want Coco's freedom assured, then bring the boy to me alive!" The Legion Platoon grew nervous looks at their Cardinal's condition but didn't refuse it.

" _Turn those frowns upside down! You kids have your best buddy coming with ya!"_ said Guttman while patting Mary Hughes' head and annoying the others. _"So don't worry your silly little head! Everything is gonna be just peachy!"_

"Quit talking to us like a bunch of kids would ya!" said Dan.

One of the Zentopian guards came and whispered something into Lapointe's ear; the Cardinal nodded and said "Excuse me, something rather urgent has come up." He then left his subordinates and wandered to one of the Zentopian outer gates; At the outer ate of Zentopia, Cardinal Lapointe stood atop a large stairway while Chief Marshal Lahar was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "I apologize for the wait." he said.

"Cardinal Lapointe," Lahar greeted the Zentopian.

"You're with the magic Council's Custody Enforcement Unit," said Lapointe. "What can I help you with today?"

"This matter concerns members of the Oracion Seis," said Lahar as he walked up the stairs. "Namely those we had in custody until recently. I'm sure word of their escape has reached you." The Marshal stopped almost at the top; Lapointe didn't give him any response. "There is one small fact I'd like to confirm, while they were incarcerated a certain individual from your organization paid them visits on a somewhat regular bases. It's possible he was connected to the breakout."

"I won't stand for such baseless acquisitions!" said Lapointe. "The Prison break was solely the Council's blunder, placing blame on our sacred institution is an outrage! The very thought of it is offensive!" The Cardinal then gave the Marshal a smirk. "You're on dangerous ground; failure to tread lightly here could lead to serious repercussions."

The Marshal was surprised by the look the Cardinal gave him but never the less, he left Zentopia to continue his investigation. Moments later, Chief Marshal Lahar was walking with Specialist Weinheidt, of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit; the two wondered through the snowy mountains while Lahar talked about his meeting with Cardinal Lapointe. "The meeting was…unsettling to say the least. The Cardinal's attitude made it very clear that something sinister is going on in Zentopia."

"And that's why you asked for help in searching for your friend?" asked Weinheidt.

"Yes, I believe he'll be need if this investigation is to go any further." said Lahar.

Back inside Zentopia's prison Cell, the athlete was talking with a fellow priest who was placed in the same cell as her. "Really? You're a survivor from one those horrible church attacks?" she asked the priest.

"Yes, and soon after that I went into hiding. But then they found and put me in this prison cell." the Priest explained.

"But I don't understand why you were imprisoned after what you've been through," said a concerned Coco.

"I was put her for two reasons," said the Priest. "Because I am the perished priest. And second…I refused to tell Cardinal Lapointe what he wants to know. So he'll interrogate or silence me."

"But what do you mean by that?" Coco inquired before she noticed the Cardinal approaching the cell bars.

"You filthy traitor, at last we finally meet!" said Lapointe to the man.

"Your eminence!" the priest said while standing on his feet.

"You'd be wise to tell me, the names of Will Neville's followers!" ordered the Cardinal. The priest simply backed away and remained silent; the Cardinal waved his hand at the bars, creating an opening for him to step into the prison cell. "This is the fate that befalls those who dare defy Zentopia! No…the fate of those who dare defy me! So pay attention Coco." Lapointe told the child in a stern voice; Coco's face became frightened. She closed her eyes and covered her eyes to block out the bone snapping sounds. The priest screams of agony echoed throughout the prison.

With Lahar, Weinheidt had lead him to through a large town covered in snow. The Marshal had requested the assistance in finding his old partner from the Specialist of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, so Weinheidt used his skills in tracking to locate the former spy for the Magic Council. The hunter brought out a piece of paper as he and Lahar stood in front of a local bar. "You sure he's here?" the Marshal inquired.

"I'm a tracker and my skills are the best. I've narrowed down his location to this place." said the Specialist as he looked up at the sign. "Besides, where else do people go when they're grieving over someone they care about or feel guilty?" Lahar nodded and the two stepped into the tavern. The place was dim lighted and smelled of booze; after looking around, the two spotted the person they sought, a man with ragged hair, an X scar on his left cheek and worn out clothes was resting his head on the table with a jug of beer in his hand. Four Rune Knights stood around him as he drowned away his sorrow. "Is that really him?" asked Weinheidt.

"Yes, that's him." said Lahar.

"You make me sick!" said a knight to the man. "Country's in a state of emergency and you're just sitting here getting drunk!"

"What do you expect from Gryder? He's gotta reputation to up hold," said another knight. "Biggest booze hound in town!"

"Man, he's got it easy doesn't he?!" Getting to spy on guild while we're out there risking our lives for justice!" another knight pointed out.

"Justice?" muttered the man.

"You heard him! The Oracion Seis are back and we're fighting with everything we've got to try and stop them!" said the 1st knight. "We're working hard to save the lives of citizens everyday! You have a sense of right and wrong, or did you drink it all away?"

The man suddenly stood up and smacked the 1st knight in the face with his beer cup, knocking him to the ground. "I don't wanna hear about it, so leave me alone!" demanded the man.

"What's wrong with you?!" asked a knight.

"You made a big mistake by attacking a Fiore soldier!" said another knight before the man disappeared, reappeared behind him and knocked him out with his jug. The man repeated the same move and easily knocked out another soldier; there was only one knight left standing, the man teleported behind him and was about to knock him out when he felt a knife at his neck. He looked behind him to see the Specialist of the Indian Knight Trio standing there.

"You know, I heard your teleporting speed was suppost to be legendary, but I was able to follow your every move with my eyes," said Weinheidt. "Guess the stories were over exaggerated,"

The man teleported behind the hunter who turned around to face him; the drunk threw a fist at the hunter but it was quickly grabbed by the Marshal. "That's enough, calm down you two!" ordered Lahar before addressing his friend. "You've gotten rusty Doranbolt. You can't beat him in your condition, so stop this."

"My name is Mest," the man corrected as he took his arm back. "The legendary traitor of Fairy Tail, Mest Gryder."

Lahar sighed "You still insist on using that name?" he asked before putting his hand on Mest's shoulder. "No matter, we need to talk. Come with us." The three soon left the tavern and were standing in the snowy mountains. "First, let me introduce you to my associate…" said Lahar before he was interrupted.

"I know who he is, Weinheidt of Chief Tyson's Indian Knight Trio." said Mest addressing the hunter. "He's rumored to be one of the greatest magic hunters in Fiore,"

"My reputation precedes me, nice." said Weinheidt. "But I know you as well, Mest or is it Doranbolt, Lahar's old partner and the Magic Council's spy."

"It's Mest! And that's not what I do anymore," said Mest.

"So now you're at odds with justice? What happened to you?" asked Lahar.

"To me? Or to them?" Mest replied. "To Wendy, I abandoned them, left them to die, like a coward." Lahar and Weinheidt said nothing as the former spy grieved. "Would you call that justice?"

"You can't change the past, but the future's a different story," said Lahar. "Listen, I didn't ask Weinheidt to rack so that we could catch up. Fiore needs your help!"

"Hmm, that's funny," laughed Mest.

"He's being deadly serious! What those soldiers said was true!" said Weinheidt. "And we're gonna need all the help we can get!"

"I'm begging you to help us." said Lahar. "Will you do it Doranbolt?"

Mest remained silent for a moment before turning away. "Let's get one thing straight, I don't answer to the name Doranbolt! I'm Mest!" he said before walking off.

Even though he was surprised, Lahar was glad his friend didn't refuse to help. "Well Mest, why don't you sober up, ok?" the Marshal played along.

"Yeah. Take a shower and change your clothes if you're coming with us." said Weinheidt. "But make it quick, we have to stop by the Fairy Tail guild to meet up with the Chief and the others, and time is not on our side!" The man known as Mest teleported away to refresh himself, leaving the Marshal and the Hunter to wait for him. "You're not going to tell him?" Weinheidt asked Lahar.

"He needs to see it for himself, it's the only way he'll get over what happened," answered Lahar. "Besides, I'll enjoy seeing the look on his face when he finds out." The Magic Council's former spy soon came back looking good as new and the three set off for the Fairy Tail guild.

With the Oracion Seis, Grim Reaper, Jackpot, and Racer were causing destruction at another church; the Rune Knights we doing all they could to defend the area. Explosions continued throughout the battlefield as the fighting got more intense. "Don't give up your ground men!" shouted one of the knights.

"Archers ready!" ordered another knight. The Archers readied their arrows and aimed at Jackpot and Erigor. "Fire!" The arrows were sent flying towards the Oracions; but before they could hit them, Racer intercepted their path and caught all of them.

"Too slow, way too slow." cackled the speed demon; the soldiers were too shock to move.

"The storm grows stronger as lightning rips through the clouds!" exclaimed Erigor; he swung his scythe on the ground. The force of wind that split the earth and knocked the guards off their feet and struck by lightning bolts.

"Slot magic! I think we have another winner on our hands!" exclaimed Jackpot. The machine pushed down on its lever; the triple screen landed on lightning bolts. "Holy cow! Look at that! A lightning bonus! Talk about a hot payoff!" Another bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the area and setting it on fire.

"It's silent…there are no more vessels to be found in this area." stated Cobra.

"Time is running out very quickly, and we will do whatever we can to speed it forward," said Angel.

"I'd be willing to do more if they would bring her back to me," muttered Cobra.

"Now, now Cobra, you mustn't forget that our orders come first," Angel reminded him.

Back at Fairy Tail, all of the guild members were gathered at the bulletin board awaiting for Cana to use her fortunetelling to tell them where to go; the job requests that were usually hanging there were replaced with a map of Fiore. "There we go, all set!" said Romeo. "You think that's gonna work for ya?"

"It's perfect! Now I'll divine where the Oracion Seis will strike next, and which of us are gonna go there and throw them a nice little surprise party." said Cana. The Fairies waited patiently as the card mage closed her eyes and placed her cards of her guildmates against her forehead. "I see it!" she exclaimed as she threw her cards at the map; multiple sets of cards stuck to a certain location on the map like razor blades.

"Interesting," muttered Gohan.

"What is it Gohan?" asked Wendy.

"The Fortuneteller I know uses a different method involving a crystal ball," said the Saiyan.

"So that's it huh?" asked Bickslow.

"That's it. If we send these teams to these locations, we can stop the attacks and save some lives," said Cana.

"Cool! So tell us who's working with who and where we're going!" said Natsu.

Master Macao removed the cards from the map and read each set to the mages. "Without further ado, the first is a two man team, composed of Freed and Gray." he announced while showing the cards.

"How interesting, I've often wondered how our magic styles would do well together," said Freed.

"I gotta admit I've wondered that myself," said Gray. "Your enchantments and my ice maker magic could make a pretty awesome combination."

"Next up, we've got Erza and Evergreen!" Macao announced.

"Let's just hope that they'll be able to get along for once," said Romeo.

"No kidding, Evergreen's always treated Erza like their in some competition," said Wakaba.

"Oh and you too Max." added Macao.

"I'm on their team?!" asked the sand mage.

"This is fabulous! Now we can finally settle the matter once and for all! We'll see who's worthy of the Queen of the Fairies title!" said Evergreen while emitting a green aura.

"The goal of our mission is to track down the Oracion Seis, but I'll gladly take you on after that!" said Titania while channeling her own red aura.

The girls glared at each other intensively while Max tried to calm them down. "Now ladies, let's remember that we're a team. Let's try our best to get along, ok?" he said.

"The next team is Gajeel and Juvia!" said the Master.

"Both ex Phantom Lord members on the same team!" said Levy.

"Oh no! Why must my darling Gray and I be set apart yet again?! Why does fate have to be so cruel?!" wept the water mage.

"Next up, Bickslow and Wendy!" said Macao.

"Alright little lady, this is gonna be a real blast! I am psyched!" cheered Bickslow.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to working with you. We'll be a great team." said Wendy.

"Sweet! And don't you forget that my babies are gonna be on the team with us!" said Bickslow.

"Go team!" cried the dolls.

The 4th Master pulled out another set of cards. "Alright, this one's got Happy, Carla, and Lily!"

"Aye! The Exceed squad is back together again!" said Happy.

"Well aside from Lily, I'm not sure how we'll far against a powerful enemy," said Carla.

"For the next team, it's Natsu, Lucy, Elfman and Michelle!" said the fire mage.

"So let's go!" said Natsu.

"We're a four person team?" asked Lucy.

"This great, we're together!" said Michelle to her sister.

"Couldn't have picked a better teammate than you." said Lucy.

"And finally, our newest member Gohan is…" the Master paused for a moment as he examined the cards. "He isn't paired up with anyone."

All of the mages seemed worried about this match up. "We just managed to convince Gohan not to go alone!"

"Well, he's not alone; he's just not paired up with people in our guild," said Cana as she showed the cards to her guildmates; beside the card of the Demi Saiyan were three cards with question marks. "Whoever he'll be with, there people I don't know,"

"Will he be alright?" asked Wendy.

"Don't worry Wendy, I'll be fine." Gohan assured her.

"And that's all!" finished Macao before he asked "Hey! Does this mean I gotta stay behind again?!"

"Aw man, I wish I was going with you guys!" said Romeo.

"There must be some way you and I can be on a team together!" Juvia said to the Ice mage before turning to her partner. "Gajeel, you have to switch with him right this instant!"

"No way! My divination magic told me that this was the best pairing for the mission you've been given!" said Cana.

"In that case, why don't you let me switch with Freed instead?!" asked Juvia furiously.

"Because that's the same thing," said Cana.

"I don't think I can even remember a time when you and I haven't been on a team together Natsu," the Blue Exceed told his friend.

"Aw crap! What the heck am I gonna do if I need to fly around?!" questioned the Dragon Slayer.

"I'm more worried about who Gohan's gonna be with," said Lucy.

"Well whoever they are they'd better be here soon, we gotta move fast!" said Natsu.

Right on que, there was a knock on the guild door; Romeo quickly went to answer it. He opened the door to find Chief Tyson of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, Lieutenant Hugo, and Corporal Jillian of the Indian Knight Trio standing there. After a few minutes, the young fire mage called out to the Demi Saiyan. "Hey Gohan, you've got three people here to see you!"

"Are you sure Romeo? I only sense two." said Gohan.

"Yeah, it's three and they're with the Magic Council." said Romeo.

"Why would the Council be here now?" asked Erza.

"Gohan, did you do something to upset the Council?"

"I don't think so, but I'd better go see what they want," said the Z Fighter. He walked towards the door and stepped in front of Romeo. When he saw his visitors, he didn't recognize the two lackeys, but the Chief made Gohan's eye grew wide. He saw the Chief lift up his trucker hat with the Red Ribbon symbol on it to reveal his western face with long silver hair and icy cold eyes. Tyson smirked as the surprise on Gohan's face increased.

"Hey there city boy, long time hasn't it," Tyson greeted the boy.

In an instant, Gohan's face turned into a glare and faster than anyone could react, he dashed towards the Chief with his fist ready. The Saiyan's punch was grabbed by the Chief's hand just before it could hit his face, releasing an incredible force of wind that disoriented everyone. When they opened their eyes, the Son of Goku and Chief Tyson had moved to the outside of the guild hall. There were tracks dug into te ground to show that the half Saiyan's attack pushed Tyson who tried to withstand it. Gohan's fist quivered within Tyson's grasp; the Fairies were shocked to see Gohan attack someone from the Magic Council and that there was someone on the council capable of catching the Saiyan's punch. Hugo and Jillian stared in confusion as the boy's anger towards their Chief increased. "How?" he muttered.

"Eh?"asked Tyson.

"How?" Gohan repeated.

"Sorry boy, yer gonna have to speak up," said the Chief.

"HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" shouted Gohan as his Ki flared. "It doesn't matter, because you die RIGHT NOW, ANDROID 13!"

 **A/N: Done! Wow, my chapters seem to be getting longer by the day! Is that wrong? Am I spending too much time on this? Should I take a break or stop? HECK NO! This just means the story's gotta be getting real good. I assure you, I've got other things going on in my life that I'm fully aware of and devoted to. So what do you think of this chapter? Gohan just got over the experience he's used to in his world and sticks with Fairy Tail, but then he encounters Tyson Hammer aka Android Thirteen! One old foe is bad enough but now two! And Gohan's made it clear that he's not happy to see either or let them live! Yes, the scene is similar to Future Trunk' reunion with Goku in Dragon Ball Super. Also what do you guys think of the two new additions to the Legion Platoon and Rancor's Combat Drug? I hope I'm not over doing it, my betas seemed to like these ideas, and some are actually theirs. Anyway, next chapter's coming up and the story's just gonna get more awesome from here! Stay tuned and send your reviews! Thanks you all who favored, followed, or reviewed this fanfic! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! And here's another chapter for this amazing fanfic you all know as Dragon Tail Z! Thank you to those who sent their reviews, just let tell this much, Trunks will appear in this arc but not until the final battle. There will be more DBZ Villians appearing in Earthland but not in this arc, later in the story. I won't tell you who they are yet, wouldn't want to ruin the surprise but I think you'll like it when it comes along with some other ideas I have planned, but until then, just sit back or lie down or whatever it is you do to get comfortable and enjoy this suspenseful chapter.  
**

 **Last time on Dragon Tail Z, All the members of Fairy Tail were given assignments and partnered up with another member… all except the young Son Gohan, who had just recovered from his battle with Rancor. Before anyone could question why the Demi Saiyan would be alone, the guild received a visit from three officers of the Magic Council: Chief Tyson of the 3** **rd** **Custody Enforcement Unit and his subordinates,** **Lieutenant Hugo and Corporal Jillian** **of the Indian Knight Trio.**

 _ **When he saw his visitors, he didn't recognize the two lackeys, but the Chief made Gohan's eyes grow wide. He saw the Chief lift up his trucker hat with the Red Ribbon symbol on it to reveal his western face with long silver hair and icy cold eyes. Tyson smirked as the surprise on Gohan's face increased.**_

" _ **Howdy there, city boy, been a long time, hasn't it," Tyson greeted the boy.**_

 **Although some of the Fairies didn't recognize these Council members, there were others who did; however, Gohan seemed to recognize the Chief in a different way… and in a fit of fury, the Son of Goku attacked Tyson.**

 _ **In an instant, Gohan's face turned into a glower, and faster than anyone could react, he dashed toward the Chief with his fist ready. The Saiyan's punch was grabbed by the Chief's hand just before it could hit his face, releasing an incredible force of wind that disoriented everyone. When they opened their eyes, the Son of Goku and Chief Tyson had moved to the outside of the guild hall. There were tracks dug into the ground to show that the half Saiyan's attack pushed Tyson, who tried to withstand it. Gohan's fist quivered within Tyson's grasp; the Fairies were shocked to see Gohan attack someone from the Magic Council and that there was someone on the Council capable of catching the Saiyan's punch. Hugo and Jillian stared in confusion as the boy's anger toward their Chief increased. "How?" he mumbled.**_

" _ **Eh?" Tyson asked.**_

" _ **How?" Gohan repeated.**_

" _ **Sorry boy, yer gonna have to speak up," the Chief said.**_

" _ **HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!" Gohan shouted as his Ki flared. "It doesn't matter, because you die RIGHT NOW, ANDROID 13!"**_

 **The Fairy Tail mages and the two Rune Knights watch in confusion as Gohan prepares to end Chief Tyson's life… now!**

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing**

 **Chapter 1** **7**

Gohan struggled to remove his arm from Tyson's grasp, but the Android held onto his wrist with no trouble. Gohan growled before tossing his other fist at 13 which was easily caught as well. "Heh! Yer gonna half to do better than that if you wanna take me down, City boy!" Tyson mocked the Demi Saiyan; in response, Gohan raised his power level even more, blowing the Chief's trucker hat off.

"I won't let your evil ambitions put any more innocent lives at stake! I'm gonna fry every circuit in your body!" Gohan declared.

"Ha! Let's see ya try, boy!" Tyson dared him.

"With pleasure!" Gohan obliged as he opened his palms and fire an energy blast that completely consumed the Red Ribbon Robot as he let go of his wrists. The Fairies on the sidelines stared with their mouths hanging at the sight of their Saiyan comrade completely vaporizing a person, while Hugo and Jillian, who were also confused, simply observed the scene with interest. When the smoke cleared, Chief Tyson was seen lying flat on his back at the end of a long trail dug into the ground that started at Gohan's feet. Although he took the attack point blank, there was no sign of damage done to the Chief, his clothes weren't even scratched or singed. The Son of Goku jumped at the Android as he opened his eyes and sat up; he struck 13 right in the face, creating a large crater from the force of his attack, but he didn't stop there and started pounding the Android with a barrage of fists.

"Uh, who is this guy and why is Gohan attacking him?" Gray inquired.

"Beats me, but the sure is giving him one heck of a beating," Gajeel commented.

"Does Gohan know him, too?" Lucy wondered.

"He seems to hold a lot of anger toward this man," Erza noted, "based on how he's trying to kill him."

At the same time, some other Fairy Tail members, specifically those who weren't on Tenrou Island for seven years, were staring at the scene with panicked looks on their faces. "This is bad! This is really, really bad!" Jet and Droy cried together.

"What's the matter, you guys?" Levy inquired.

"Yeah! I think this is great!" Natsu exclaimed. "Maybe this'll finally get those stuck-up Council nitwits off our backs!"

"No Natsu, this is seriously not a good thing! Nor will it get the council to leave us alone!" Romeo said.

"That's Chief Tyson!" Wakaba screamed.

"And if the council finds out that their top officer was attacked or killed by one of our members, they'll do more than just disband our guild!" a distressed Macao cried. "They'll have our heads for this crime!"

Gohan finally concluded his assault by channeling Ki into his right fist and throwing it at Tyson's head; the Android quickly tilted his head, allowing him to avoid the Saiyan's devastating attack, but just barely. "Nice try there, boy, but now it's my turn!" Tyson said as he grabbed the boy's shoulders and kicked him away. Gohan backflipped and landed on his feet; Tyson stood up and quickly phased in front of the half Saiyan and skull bashed him before he could react. Gohan winced before shaking his head and glaring at Android 13; he then gasped when he saw the Red Ribbon soldier's right finger forming a gun and aimed at him while glowing red. "Bang!" he said as he fired a blast straight at Gohan's chest, sending him flying until he crashed into the dirt where the blast detonated and buried Gohan several feet below under a large pile of rubble.

"Oh no! Gohan!" Mira cried in worry.

"Who does this guy think he is, coming here and picking a fight with our guildmate?!" Elfman demanded. "What kind of man would easily harm a child like that?!"

Natsu's fist suddenly lit on fire as he faced and glared at Tyson. "I don't know who you are, pal, and I don't care if you're with the Magic Council or not… NOBODY GETS AWAY WITH HURTING MY FRIEND!" he roared as he charged at Android 13, who simply smirked while facing him. Before he could reach the Chief, his body suddenly froze and he fell to his knees. _"Wh-What the? Why can't I move?!"_ he thought before glancing up to see Hugo standing in front of him with glowing red eyes. _"Is this guy causing it? What the hell kind of magic is he using?!"_

"Natsu Dragneel, aka the Salamander. It is an honor to meet Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer," Hugo greeted the fire mage. Natsu glared at him and attempted to stand but Hugo returned the glare, forcing the pinkette back to his knees. "Don't bother trying to stand up; you can't escape my power." Hugo then noticed Erza and Gray rushing toward him.

" **Ice-Make: Hammer!"** Gray exclaimed as he created an ice weapon.

"Whatever you've done to Natsu, stop it at once!" Erza ordered as she changed into her Flame Empress Armor. Hugo didn't even look at them as his body released a red aura wave; in an instant, they found themselves in the same state as Salamander. "What magic power is this?! How can a Rune Knight possess such malicious aura?!" she inquired.

"What's wrong with me?! How is this guy doing this?!" Gray questioned. "It feels like the time we fought Master Hades at full strength!"

Lieutenant Hugo then stepped in front of the ice stripper. "Gray Fullbuster, the Ice Make Wizard. It is an honor to meet the disciple of a potential Wizard Saint. I wonder if you're as good as Lyon or Ultear." The Rune Knight then turned to the red-haired mage and his expression changed to disappointment. "The famous Erza Scarlet, aka Titania, Queen of the Fairies. I wish I could say that it is an honor to be in your presence, but then I'd be lying."

"Wh-Who are you? H-How are you doing th-this?" she asked as she tried to stand.

Hugo just glared at her. "Resistance is futile! Stand down!" he ordered.

"Oh man, it's Hugo Steelsoul!" Nab said.

"I've heard rumors about his Overpower magic, but I never thought it would be powerful enough to take down three of our strongest members," Max stated in awe.

"I ain't gonna stand here and let these Council punks do this to our friends!" Gajeel declared. **"Iron Dragon Roar!"** He took a huge breath and let out a hurricane of metal shards.

"Anyone who dares to harm my beloved will feel my wrath!" Juvia shouted as she waved her hand, creating a massive wave. **"Water Nebula!"**

The two ex-Phantom Lord Mages fired their attacks at the Knight, but his comrade suddenly phased in front of Hugo and deflected the attacks by twirling her staff rapidly. "I know your guild has a reputation for being reckless, but please do not push us!" she said playfully. "I don't wanna have to hurt any of you!"

"Only one about to get hurt is you, sweetheart!" Gajeel retorted as he formed a spear with his right arm and pointed it at Jillian. **"Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!"** He fired a barrage of iron spikes at the female Rune Knight.

"You dare stand between Juvia and her darling?!" the Water Mage demanded while she quivered in fury. "That means you are another love rival that I must destroy! **Water Slicer!** " Juvia launched numerous blades of liquid at Jillian.

The Combat Healer sighed and said, "I warned you." She quickly waved her hand to form an energy barrier that deflected the attacks; she then created multiple Ki wires that surrounded the former enemies of Fairy Tail and bind them. The other Fairies prepared to join the fray when they saw that most of their guildmates were tied up or taken down with little effort.

" _Gohan! Gohan, can you hear me?!_ " Warren tried to call the boy with his telepathy but received no reply. "This isn't good! We're getting our asses kicked here! Lucy! You and the others go and see if you can dig Gohan out!" Lucy nodded as she, Michelle, Wendy, and Carla raced over to where the Demi Saiyan had been buried.

"Don't worry, Gohan,we'll get you out!" Wendy assured.

"I hope he's alright," Michelle said with concern.

"Alright! Time to start digging!" Lucy exclaimed. **"Open: Gate of the Maiden – Virgo!"** The Celestial Mage turned Virgo's key and the Maiden Spirit appeared from underground.

"You summoned me, Princess? Is it time to receive punishment?" Virgo asked eagerly.

"Not now, Virgo! I need you to dig Gohan out from underground before he suffocates!" Lucy told her Celestial Spirit.

Virgo turned toward the rubble pile before turning back to Lucy. "That won't be necessary, Princess," she said, confusing Lucy before she explained further. "At the moment, I can feel vibrations deep in the ground; it seems that the boy is digging himself out rather quickly."

"Phew! For a second there, I thought you were gonna say that he was already dead," Lucy sighed in relief.

"If that were the case, then I would've offered to make a tombstone for him as this would be the perfect grave for him," Virgo replied, making the girls sweatdrop. Suddenly, multiple beams of light began to shoot out of the rubble as the ground began to shake. "It would be wise for you girls to take a few steps back," Virgo advised. As soon as they did, the pile of rubble exploded and a pillar of gold Ki shot into the sky; the Demi Saiyan shot out of the ground and ascended into the heavens, now in his Super Saiyan form. "I believe that Sir Gohan would make an excellent example of an angel passing on and entering the next life, don't you think?" Virgo joked.

"Thank goodness he's alright," Wendy sighed.

"And it doesn't look like he's ready to back down just yet," Carla observed.

The Demi Saiyan glared at Tyson, who just smirked at him and made the 'come on' gesture with his right hand. "RAAAAH!" the Z Fighter roared before he charged at the Android. Gohan tried to handchop Tyson, but his attack was blocked. The half Saiyan then tried to knee Android 13 in the gut but he easily blocked that attack as well. Gohan stayed on the offensive and unleashed numerous punches and kicks at his enemy, but every single blow was blocked or dodged. Tyson smirked before elbow bashing Gohan in the face and kicking him away; the Son of Goku slid on the ground before getting back on his feet. _"He managed to counter every one of my moves,"_ Gohan thought. _"Of course he did! My fighting style's stored in his data! But… if I remember correctly, his power is only equal to that of a Super Saiyan, and I've far surpassed that level of strength. I'll finish him off_ _in seconds!"_ Gohan charged at 13 again; he readied his fist to pucnh the Android before phasing behind him and kicking him in the head. He then elbow bashed the Chief before jumping away from him and hitting him with an energy blast.

Tyson took the blast and received no damage at all; he then flew at the boy and kicked him in the face with both feet, making Gohan wince long enough for 13 to grab him by the leg and start slamming the Demi Saiyan on the ground repeatedly. Tyson then stopped and threw Gohan toward Fairy Tail's base. "Our Guild Hall!" some of the members cried. Fortunately, Gohan quickly changed his trajectory by tapping the ground a few times and then blasting himself upward. Tyson flew up to meet the Super Saiyan and the two were immediately looked in combat. Eventually, Gohan got the jump on the Red Ribbon Robot by skull bashing him, kicking him in the chin, and then punching him in the gut before flying above Tyson and blasting him back to Earth. Gohan descended to the spot where 13 landed and waited; a giant red sphere inside another red sphere came out of the dust and crashed into Gohan. The Saiyan Hybrid caught it with his bare hands and tossed it into space. He then looked forward to see that 13 was gone right before he got a blast to the back from Android 13. Gohan glared at Tyson, who was ascending to the skies and quickly followed after him; when both fighters were at the same level, Tyson smirked and said, "Not bad, city boy. You managed to learn your pap's shiny transformation and yer even stronger than the last time we threw down!"

"I'm done playing games with you Android!" Gohan stated. "I won't let your evil endanger this place like it did mine!"

"Oh, really? Well, let's see ya go ahead and try, boy!" Tyson responded.

Gohan got angrier and powered up to Super Saiyan 2. "Now you die, Android!" he yelled as he formed two large yellow blasts in his hands and charged at Android 13. **(A/N: Like the move Goku used on Jamemba.)** Tyson took a fighting stance as he braced himself for Gohan's attack when suddenly, a giant hand appeared and intercepted the Demi Saiyan's path. Gohan quickly reacted by powering down to base form and aiming his hands at the giant one. He fired a kiai at minimum power, allowing the Saiyan to slow himself down and reduce the damage it would've received from his impact on it. When he stopped in the air, Gohan glanced to see that the giant hand came from Master Makarov, who had a pained look on his face from Gohan's attack. "Master Makarov, what are you doing?!" Gohan questioned.

"I should be asking you that question so you can explain your reason for attacking a member of the Magic Council!" Makarov retorted as he retracted his hand and grasped it in pain. "Now if you would just calm down, I'm sure we can settle whatever misunderstanding this is."

Gohan kept his eyes suspiciously on Tyson. The Red Ribbon soldier descended to the ground and landed beside Hugo, who had released Erza, Gray, and Natsu from his power. Gohan followed afterward and stood with his guild as Jillian released them from her bindings. "Master, please don't ever do something like that again!" Gohan warned. "If I hadn't seen your hand and reacted in time, I could've flew right through the flesh in your palm!" The Fairies cringed at that thought while their 3rd Master massaged his injured hand.

"Noted," Makarov said. Jillian then appeared next to the old mage and held out her hand.

"Let me help," she offered. Her hand started emitting Ki and in a few seconds, Makarov's hand was completely healed. She was about to go over to Gohan and heal his injuries as well when she saw the Sky Dragon Slayer had already rushed to his side and healed him. _"So she's the Sky Maiden with healing abilities comparable to my own,"_ she thought. At that moment, Weinheidt, Lahar, and a newly refreshed Doranbolt/Mest appeared by the Guild hall. "Chief! They're here!" she informed her commanding officer.

Wiendeit placed his right fist to his chest to salute his leader. "Specialist Weinheidt reporting for duty sir! So, what did we miss?" he asked as he observed the battlefield.

"Just the Chief getting pounded into the ground by that boy over there," Jillian answered as she pointed to Gohan. "Why do you have to be so reckless, Chief?"

"Why did you engage that boy in combat? And why did he want to kill you sir?" Hugo questioned.

"Relax y'all, my little square dance with the boy was just to see if he's the same child I remember," Tyson explained as he picked his trucker hat up and dusted it off before putting it back on. "Now, that's definitely the boy I met a while ago, but he's far better than I reckoned for."

While the Indian Knight Trio were conversing amongst themselves, Lahar and Mest had approached the Fairy Tail members. The former spy's eyes grew wide when he saw that every Fairy he claimed to have left to die on Tenrou island was standing right in front of him. "Wendy… everyone," he muttered in disbelief. "But I thought… how are you all...?"

Gohan's attention was suddenly brought to the man staring at his friend. "Wendy, who's this guy?" he inquired.

"That's Mest Gryder or Doranbolt. He's a spy who infiltrated our guild for the Magic Council to disband it," Wendy explained, getting Gohan to look at her questioningly at how she could say that so calmly. "I know how it sounds, but he's actually a good guy," she defended the spy before addressing him. "Hey Doranbolt, it's nice to see you again."

Seeing that Team Tenrou was clearly alive and finally accepting it, Mest smiled at the Sky Maiden. "Hello Wendy, I'm glad that you're alright."

"Hey Mest!" Natsu greeted te spy. "Long time no see! How ya been? What brings you here?"

"Before we get to that, can someone please explain to me who these four are?" Makarov requested as he gestured to the Chief and the Indian Knights. "And why Gohan attacked one of them?"

"I'll tell you, 3rd master," Macao said. "The man in the cap is Chief Tyson Hammer of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit. He's an exceptionaly strong officer who has taken out many minor Dark Guilds of the Baram Alliance. His magic is unknown, but he's never been known to lose a fight to anyone so far." The Fire Mage then gestured to Tyson's lieutenant. "This guy in the helmet is Hugo Soulsteel, and he's Tyson's second in command. People say that he can make his enemies freeze before he takes them out. Whenever he faces a Dark Guild, they just lose the will to fight against him, and as you saw from what he did to three of our strongest mages, his maigc is more than just a rumor. They say that he was the one who ended the attack on the Cedar knight's home, singlehandedly."

" _Cedar? That's Dan's hometown,"_ Lucy thought. _"He does look like a knight; maybe he knows Dan."_

Max then came over and gestured to the female Rune Knight. "This lovely lady is Jillian Solaris, Corporal of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit," he introduced her. "She's a strong and fierce woman and one of the best amongst the Rune Knights. She's been known to take out numerous knights and mages solo. She's known as the Combat healer due to her incredible fighting skills and healing abilities, which we've seen are very effective. She is an inspiration to strong women everywhere."

Romeo then pointed to the hunter. "I know this guy. He's Philip Weinheidt, Specialist of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit," the boy stated. "They call him the Bullseye Bow. Whether it's long range or close combat, he's known to have always gotten his target. Together with Hugo and Jillian, the three of them make up Tyson's elite team: the Indian Knight Trio. Most of the Baram Alliance's remaining Dark Guilds were disbanded by them."

"Hold on a minute!" Gajeel interjected. "I've been arrested by basically every Council Knight there is! And I've never heard of these guys until now!"

"I've also never heard of these Rune Knights before, which is surprising considering if our guild's record with the Magic Council," Erza mused. "How can these four be so famous and yet we've never encountered them in the past?"

"They actully became public seven years ago, sometime after you guys disapppeared on Tenrou Island," Macao revealed.

" _7 years ago? How can that be?"_ Gohan thought.

"These guys are said to be the greatest four person team in all of Earthland!" Romeo said. "They're feared by many guilds; their strength is unmeasurable, their accomplishments are unbelievable, and their magic, even though it's unknown, is said to be limitless!"

"That's because they don't use magic, they're using Ki," Gohan spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at the Demi Saiyan with wide eyes. "Wait, you're saying that these Council guys can use Ki?!" Gray questioned. "Just like you can?!"

"Gohan, are you about this claim?" Erza asked.

The Son of Goku nodded. "I can sense the life forces of those three and they're exceptionally high, especially for someone from Eartland. I'm pretty sure that's because they can use Ki just as freely as I can," Gohan explained as he pointed to the Indian Knight Trio. He then turned his attention from the Rune Knights and to their Chief. "Although I don't know this Indian Knight Trio, I do in fact know their Chief!"

"Wow! Never would've guessed that the amazing Chief Tyson and his surbordinates were capable of the same type of power as Gohan," Wakaba mused.

"I never would've thought that the Magic Council had managed to recruit someone who doesn't use magic!" Macao admitted. "Man, life sure has a funny way of doing things."

"So, that kid knows about Ki, and from the way he fought the Chief, it seems that he's very versatile in using it himself," Jillian noted. "I've never seen anyone take so many of the Chief's attacks and shrug it off, let alone go toe to toe with him when he's trying."

"I can sense his energy; it's nothing like I've ever felt before," Hugo stated. "In that moment, when he changed into that golden form, I could feel his overwhelming power. It was so much greater than ours and he wasn't even at full strength."

Weinheidt nodded. "Yeah. I can tell just by looking at him that he's been fighting his entire life. He's probably been through the most brutal training you can imagine, even more intense than ours. That kid… is a true warrior!" he said.

"Do you think he could be stronger than the Chief?" Jillian wondered.

"Without a doubt," Hugo answered.

"That could be a problem," Weinheidt said. "The Chief's plan was to work with that boy and his guild, but we may have to fight them if that kid tries to kill him again. Why does he want to kill Chief Tyson, anyway?" he asked, but received no answer from his comrades.

"Wait a minute, Gohan!" Romeo exclaimed, getting the Saiyan's attention. "You weren't with us for those seven years, so how do you know Tyson Hammer?"

"Tyson Hammer… is that the fake name you made up for yourself, Thirteen?" Gohan asked the Android.

"Fake name?" Jillian repeated.

"Chief, what does he mean?" Weindeit inquired.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your so-called Chief isn't who he claims to be," Gohan said while jabbing a finger at Tyson. "You may be able to hide your identity from these wizards, but you could never hide it from me because I'll always remember what you've done… Android 13!"

"Android 13?" Natsu parroted questioningly.

"He called him that earlier when he attacked that guy," Happy recalled.

"But what the heck is an Android?" Gray asked.

"An Android is a mechanical man or a machine designed to look like a human," Gohan answered. "Though in my case, they're artificial humans built specifically for battle."

"So, you're saying that Chief Tyson isn't human?" Erza asked, recieving a nod from the Saiyan.

The Indian Knight Trio glanced at their Commanding officer with surprised looks."It can't be… the Chief… is a machine?" Weinheidt questioned.

"That can't be true!" Hugo argued. "Chief Tyson was the one who taught us how to use our Ki for combat! There's no way a machine could be able to use this same kind of power!"

"Where I come from, Androids are designed with the ability to manipulate Ki just as well as an organic being. Even though they didn't acquire this the same way we did, their control over it was adequate," Gohan explained. "However, even though they can use their energy, their life forces cannot be sensed. Since their Ki isn't awakened or acquired naturally and they're inorganic, their life forces give off no signal to organic beings… or have you ever sensed your Chief's energy before now?"

The Indian Knight Trio could not bring themselves to answer the Z Fighter. They began to remember all the times they witnessed Tyson's display of power, yet they never picked up his energy signal even though he was using his Ki right before them. _"No matter how many times we tried to sense the Chief's power, his energy was just… undetectable to us. But it can't be true, I've always been able to heal his injuries. That wouldn't work if he was a machine… would it?"_ Jillian thought.

"Hold on! That machine Rancor you fought was also able to use Ki," Pantherlily stated. "Are you saying that this Tyson is connected to Rancor?"

"I'm pretty sure the only connection between the two is that they're both heartless killing machhines," Gohan replied.

"Actually, I'm a Cyborg, city boy," Tyson corrected him.

"Whats a Cyborg?" Michelle wondered.

"A Cyborg is someone who's half human, half machine," Gohan supplied. "Meaning Tyson used to be an organic being before he was given cybernetic enhancements; that's why he can use Ki so well. Not that it really matters to me." The Demi Saiyan glowered at the Cyborg.

" _So the Chief_ _ **is**_ _human, or at least_ _ **part**_ _human!"_ the Indian Knight Trio thought, though it didn't fill them with much relief.

"So he's not completely human, but that doesn't explain why you tried to kill him, child," Carla stated.

"Yeah Gohan. Just because he's not a human doesn't mean that…" Wendy started to say before she was interrupted.

"Believe me, I didn't want to kill him for what he is," Gohan said sternly. "It's for what he's done!" The Son of Goku took a quick glance at Tyson as his Ki flared and his eyes changed to teal; he then took a deep breath and calmed down, but still clenched his fist in anger. "This machine, this monster… tried to kill my father!"

"What?!" everyone shouted.

"No, that can't be… it's not true," Jillian muttered.

"Heck yeah, it's not true!" Weinheidt agreed. "Chief Tyson must've hit 'em real hard!"

"Perhaps you are mistaken, boy," Hugo suggested. "Maybe you think Tyson is some old enemy of yours due to his appearance."

"Trust me, I'm not mistaken!" Gohan said. "I considered that maybe Tyson wasn't Android 13, but his appearance, his trucker hat, his undetectable Ki, and his fighting style; they all match the murderous machine I fought perfectly. So I know I'm not mistaken when I say that Tyson is the Android that tried to kill my dad right in front of me!"

"Gohan," Makarov called to the boy. "If you wouldn't mind explaining, what is your history with this man?"

Gohan took another deep breath, not liking the story or the memory but brought himself to talk about it. "Chief Tyson is a cybernetic super soldier built to complete the Red Ribbon Army's dream of world domination."

"What is this Red Ribbon Army?" Erza inquired.

"A powerful organization whose strength, resources, and numbers were unmatched!" Gohan explained. "They went around conquering villages and harming innocents to get what they wanted. For some time, no one could bring themselves to stand against them… until my dad did. He singlehandedly stormed the Red Ribbon base and decimated it, defeating every member he faced and crushing the organization."

"Whoa! Your dad took on an entire army and won?!" Lucy questioned in shock. "That's insane!"

"No, that's totally awesome!" Natsu cheered. "Your dad must've been super strong! Wish I could've met him!"

"Aye! So that you can challenge him to a fight," Happy said.

"Of course you would think about that, flame brain," Gray commented. "Still, it's pretty cool that your old man was able to defeat an entire criminal organization on his own."

"Your dad sounds amazing, Gohan!" Wendy exclaimed. "And heroic!"

"If he's anything like you, he must've been quite the great warrior," Erza said with a smile.

"Indeed," Makarov agreed.

Gohan smiled for a moment before frowning again. "But even though the army was no more, its head scientist, Dr. Gero, escpaed and spent years spying on my father in order to plot his revenge and reawaken the Red Ribbon's dream. He spent his time collecting data on us and programmed them into his tools of revenge: the Androids." Gohan explained before glancing at 13 again along with everyone else. "Gero managed to build up to twenty different Androids/Cyborgs, the 20th being himself, and a Bio Android. After my father befriended the 8th Android and defeated the army, all other Androids were created for one purpose: to kill him! 3 years prior to the Androids' release, we were warned about them and spent the time training. Eventually, the Z Fighters went to confront the Androids."

"The Z Fighters?" Romeo inquired.

"It's the name of our group. It composes of me, Trunks, my partner, my mentor, my dad's rival, and his childhood friends, with my dad as the leader," Gohan said. "We were told that the Androids we faced, which were 19 and 20, would kill us if my dad wasn't with us. My dad almost beat 19 but he was fatally ill from a heart virus and nearly died on the battlefield before his rival saved him. After he was taken home to recover, we faced the Androids without him. At first we thought we were winning when Vegeta defeated 19 and my mentor proved too strong for 20, but then Trunks came and told us these weren't the Androids he warned us about. Dr. Gero then revealed the existence of 17 and 18 and hurried off to his lab to awaken them; we tried to stop him but we were too late. After they killed Gero for making them fighting machines, they awakened another Android, 16, and went to fulfill their programming by killing my dad. We stood in their way and challenged them to a fight. The Androids had no interest in us but still fought and beat us so easily. Though we were at their mercy, the Androids spared us since they had no reason to kill us or anyone else aside from my dad. They said they only wanted to fight the strongest and that it was like a game to them, one they intended to win."

"That's a nice story and all but what does that have to do with the Chief?" Weinheidt questioned.

"I was getting to that!" Gohan said. "Anyway, after our defeat, we spent the time training to get even stronger and my father joined us as soon as he rcovered from his illness. Some time later, the city we were cruising through was attacked by another pair of Androids: 14 and 15. We led them away from the city and faced them in an icy area. Pretty soon, they were joined by another Android… 13!" The Indian Knight Trio looked at their leader in shock; he just kept his face hidden with his trucker hat. "13 told us that Gero's self-programmed supercomputer completed him and the other two and made it very clear that they intended to give in to their programming to kill my dad and anyone who stood in their way. We managed to defeat 14 and 15, but 13 absorbed their powers and grew even stronger, too strong for any of us! He beat every single one of us who tried to fight him, completely letting himself be a slave to his foul programming. Eventually, my dad managed to defeat 13 with an ultimate attack; we all thought he died that day, but he clearly survived and came here!" Gohan clenched his fist again as his anger at Tyson rose.

The Indian Knight Trio continued to stare at their their trusted leader; the more they looked at him, the more they couldn't believe that their trusted leader was a ruthless war machine built for killing, fighting, and conquering. "Chief Tyson," Hugo said to his teachher. "Tell me this isn't true, sir. Look me in the eye and say that this boy is wrong or lying."

"Yeah, Chief! You've gone around taking out Dark Guilds to help people, right?" Weinheidt asked. "No way could someone like you could ever harm good people or try to kill them, right?"

Tyson still gave his students no answer but just continued to hide his face with his trucker hat. "Chief," Jillian whispered as she approached him. "Please… say it isn't true. Tell us that you never did any of that," she pleaded.

Android 13 slowly lifted up his cap to show his saddened face. "Sorry darling, but I done did all those things. I am… was… Android 13," he answered. Jillian backed away before looking down in disappointment and hurt, as did her comrades.

"Now you understand why I wanted to kill him," Gohan said. "I saw his brothers tear up a city to fish out my father. I watched him pound my friends into a pulp! I saw him beat my dad to near death, intercepted the blast he fired at my dad, and almost died from it! Even though he's taken refuge here, he can't be trusted!"

"But I ain't the same Android your daddy defeated boy," Tyson assured. "I've become a different person."

"People change, but a machine can't change what they truly are!" Gohan said.

"How would you know that, city boy?!" Tyson demanded. "There's no way you could understand how it feels, to be human and something else! When I first awoke, I had no memory of my human self; just my programming and images of your father's life! It felt like I had no purpose and that your pap's very existence was the reason why I was turned into this Cybnertic psycho! 'Kill Goku! Goku must die!' That's all my brian kept telling me; it drove me mad, and I couldn't fight it! I had no choice to do whatever it took to kill your old man; it was the only way I could be free! It was either that or risk that blasted computer setting off that darn nuke they put in me!"

Gohan turned away from Android 13. "If what you're saying is true… then Android 16 would've felt the same way you did!" he stated, getting a surprised look from Tyson.

"I must not have heard you right, boy, 'cause it done sound like you knew little brother 16!" Tyson said. "And that can't be right, 'cause Pa never wanted him awake!"

"You heard right, 16 was activated." Gohan clarfied. "16 had the same programming as you, so he likely suffered from the same mental problems you did! But unlike you, he was never human; Gero built him from nothing! He was a full Android, 100% machine! 16 was also solely devoted to his mission and he planned to fulfill it to the end. But he was different, because he cared about life while you didn't! He wanted to protect the innocent while you and your brothers tried to snuff it out! Even when it came to those who stood against him, he refused to harm anyone. But when humanity was endangered by Cell, he set aside his programming, his mission, his _purpose_ , to fight for what's right!" The Demi Saiyan started to get a little teary-eyed as he remembered how 16 died. "He was even willing to use that same bomb you have. It was meant for my father, but he tried to use it on Cell, and when he failed, he sacrficed himself to help me. He encouraged me to use my true power to fight for good and not to fear it. When he was killed, he only had one request. He cared deeply about the animals of the wildlife and wanted to protect them; he begged me to do it in his place. He was built by Gero just like you, he was programmed to kill Goku like you, so why was it that a total Android had the will to reject his programming to kill Goku even when he was right in front of him but you couldn't?" Tyson looked away as he could not answer the boy's question. "I'll tell you why, because he was more human than you ever were! You probably weren't any different when you were fully human; that's why you followed your programming even when you knew you didn't have to. Both you and 16 had a choice, and you made yours!"

"Whoa, that was a little harsh for Gohan, wasn't it?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, it's like he really doesn't like that Tyson guy," Gray said.

"I sense the same amount of hatred Gohan had toward Rancor," Erza noted.

"He always seemed like a sweet, innocent, and shy little boy," Michelle remarked.

"I never knew there was so much anger deep inside him," Mira said. "It's probably the greatest I've ever felt."

"Who could blame him?" Natsu reasoned. "If what he said is true, then that Tyson guy had it coming for what he did to Gohan's father."

"I'm not sure I like Gohan when he's upset or angry," Wendy confessed. "It doesn't suit him."

Tyson looked like he wanted to something back, but before he could, Lahar stood in front of the young half Saiyan. "Forgive me, but we didn't come here just to find out about Chief Tyson," he said. "Something urgent has come up and we request Fairy Tail's assistance."

Makarov came beside Gohan and asked the Marshal, "What does the Council want from us?"

"I'm sure you're all aware of the Church halls that have been burned down and that the Neo Oracion Seis were the ones responsible," Lahar stated. "The Council is aware that you attempted to stop those criminals from gathering the pieces of the Infintiy Clock, so we know you plan to confront them again. This is why we need your help, since you know more about the Oracion Seis than we do."

"What sort of help are you requesting?" Erza asked.

"Before coming here, Chief Tyson has requested that the Council operatives form an alliance with Fairy Tail," Hugo explained, "and it was granted. Now we ask you the same request."

Most of the Fairy Tail members' faces turned into scowls aimed at the Custody Enforcement officers. "Sorry pal, but I think you'd better turn around and leave cause you're asking the wrong guild to back you up!" Natsu said.

"Fairy Tail and the Magic Council aren't exactly buddy-buddy and we ain't gonna start now!" Gray agreed.

"Like we'd ever work with a bunch of stuck-up pests like the Council," Gajeel stated. "Thanks but no thanks, we can handle the Neo Oracion Seis ourselves." Other members nodded their heads in agreement.

"All of you be quiet!" Makarov ordered, surprising his children. He faced the officers with a hard look. "As you can see, my guild has some mixed feelings about the Council's request. So if you would, please tell me why your Chief would dare make such a request. I'm sure the Council didn't like it any more than we do."

Jillian stepped forward. "We know that the Legion Platoon is also a part of this and their leader has made it clear to Marshal Lahar that they will handle the situation independently. However, we believe that they cannot succeed, as many of their churhces have already been lost to the demons and it will only get wosre unless they are stopped."

"The Council has already had Rune Knights go up against these monsters and we have yet to stop them," Weinheidt added. "Especially that Red Giant covered with emeralds that the Chief had trouble fighting."

"You're talking about Rancor," Gohan told him.

"Who?" Weinheidt inquired.

"Rancor is an old enemy of Gohan's and a new addition to the Oracion Seis," Erza replied. "He's a machine built for battle that can use Ki proficently."

"I see. Do you know if he has any weakness?" Lahar questioned. "Is there a way we can stop him?"

"No, there isn't!" Gohan responded. "So don't bother trying! I'm taking down Rancor myself!"

"You? By yourself?" Doranbolt questioned. "No offense, but you're just a kid; how can you hope to stand a chance against this Rancor?"

"Don't underestimate Gohan!" Happy spoke up. "He's super strong!"

"Yeah! He almost destroyed that hunk of junk the last time they fought!" Nastu added. "So if anyone can handle Rancor, it's him!"

Lahar nodded. "I see. In any case, it's clear that we must work together if we wanna stop the Neo Oracion Seis," he declared. "With the fate of the world at stake, we ask that you cooperate and lend us your strength. Will you do it?"

Some of the Fairies still expressed their dislike with this alliance, but none of them refused it again as they knew the stakes. "I still say it's a bad idea," Natsu muttered.

"Yeah, the Council tends to give us nothing but trouble," Gray stated. "I doubt they'll be any help to us now."

Before more Fairy Tail members could attempt to protest against the alliance proposal with the Council for dealing with Neo Oracion Seis, Tyson retorted, "Now, I would like to remind y'all that the once great Fairy Tail just took an ass whoopin' from Hugo and Jillian, who weren't even trying. If you ruffians can't even handle the Indians, why bring out the Chief? Even if ya did, ya couldn't even touch me, much less Rancor, who we know stole all them clock bits from ya."

Natsu, Gray, and Erza gritted their teeth at their helplessness before Hugo's Overpower Magic while Gajeel and Juvia felt ticked off at being easily taken down by Jillian, and the rest of the Guild was gloomy due to how Rancor easily took the Infinity Clock pieces they were guarding. After another moment of thought, Makarov finally spoke. "Although my children and I have never been fond of the Magic Council, we know the danger that awaits Earthland if not stopped immediately!" the 3rd Master stated. "We will do all we can to help, even if it means working alongside the Magic Council."

" _Guess they're not a completely reckless guild after all,"_ Jillian thought.

"Alrighty, y'all! First you lot need to tell us your little scheme against these devils and then we head out!" Tyson said.

Gohan glared at the Cyborg before addressing Makarov. "Excuse me, Master, I need some time to think. I have to mentally prepare myself for my rematch against Rancor. I already know the location of where I'll engage him, so just send someone to let me know when we're ready to go and I'll catch up with my… teammates." And on that note, the Demi Saiyan flew to the back of the guild hall while his guildmates watched him with looks of concern.

"Wendy," Mira said, getting the Sky Maiden's attention. "Why don't you go check on Gohan, see if he's doing alright."

"Y-Yeah. Okay," Wendy agreed before hurrying after the Z Fighter.

As the others explained their plan to Marshal Lahar and Doranbolt, the Indian Knight Trio stepped aside to speak with their Commanding officer. "Chief," Jillian spoke first. "We just want you to know that we respect you and we owe you everything for helping us become the people we are today. We just never dreamed that our leader and teacher used to be such a…"

"A rapscallion? A scamp? A scoundrel?" Tyson joked.

"A villian!" Hugo corrected. "A brute who did things his own way without any regard for human life!"

Weinheidt placed his hand on the Knight's shoulder before speaking. "Look Chief, maybe we don't understand how you were before we met you. Even so, that doesn't change anything; we'll still serve as your indians."

Hugo then glared at the Cyborg. "But if it turns out that you're still the enemy that boy claims you were, then it won't if you're our Chief or not! We'll personally stop you, using everything you taught us, no matter what it takes!" he promised; the other two nodded before walking away from their Chief.

With Gohan, the Sky Dragon Slayer found the Saiyan Hybrid behind their guild hall; he was sitting cross-legged in midair, with his hands together and his eyes closed, channeling energy while deep in thought. Inside his mind, he saw images of flames expanding around him; he looked around for the enemy until he spotted Rancor. He quickly powered up to Super Saiyan and prepared to attack, but then he felt a prescence behind and turned to see Super Android 13 there with his old devious grin. The two machines pounded the Son of Goku continuously, overwhelming him in his own space. He separated from them and channeled energy into his hands before charging at them full speed. _"Gohan,"_ a voice called for him, snapping him back to reality. He opened his eyes and turned to see the Sky Maiden.

"Wendy, did you need something?" he asked her as he descended to the ground.

"I, um, I just wanted to see if you were alright," she replied.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," he said while smiling.

"Um Gohan… don't you think you were a little mean to Mr. Tyson?" she inquired. "I mean, he doesn't seem that bad."

Gohan then frowned before looking away. "You don't know him the way I do, Wendy," Gohan answered. "I'm sorry if I came off as mean, but that's just how I feel about him."

"Are you sure you're not still upset about losing to Rancor?" Wendy asked.

"I am still upset about that, but that's not just it," Gohan said. "I almost lost you to Rancor, just like I almost lost my dad to a lot of other enemies. I just wanna protect my friends, and Tyson could still be trying to hurt them."

"But he's on our side, and he wants to help us," Wendy stated.

"I'm not rejecting his help, I just can't trust him yet," Gohan said. "I can see that he's acting differently from when we last met, but words aren't enough compared to what he did. I need to see that he's trying to be different. Before I forgive him, he needs to prove himself to me. So I'll give him a chance for now, but I won't let my guard down."

Wendy nodded before something came to her mind. "Um Gohan," she said.

At the same time, Gohan said, "Hey Wendy." They both waited for the other to talk before he said, "You first."

"Do you really think we can stop the Oracion Seis?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Gohan laughed. "I guess we're not as confident as our friends. What do you think they'd say?"

"Probably something like 'we managed to beat them before and we can do it again,'" Wendy answered. "Which is true. Fairy Tail has stopped the Oracion Seis before and you stopped Rancor before, too. If we don't give up and have hope, we can pull it off just like before. We just need to work together."

"About that, are you sure these are the best teams?" Gohan inquired. "I saw how everyone acted toward those they were partnered with, and it seemed like these kind of matchups haven't happened before."

"Well, Cana's divination said these would be the best teams that could stop the Oracion Seis," Wendy reasoned. "I'm sure it'll work out. Plus, those who were paired together were all on Tenrou Island for seven years, so maybe this'll help their bond grow like it did then."

"Must be nice to have a bond like that," Gohan mused.

"It is, and you'll get to experience it for yourself," Wendy assured him. "Just like the challenges we overcome bring us closer together, this crisis will bring you closer to us, I'm sure of it." The two child Fairies smiled at each other just as they were intruded on by Bickslow.

"Hey there, kiddies, snuggle time's over! We got bad guys to bust and a world to save!" he exclaimed.

"World to save! World to save!" his dolls repeated.

"All the other teams have already gotten a head start, so we need to get a move on!" Bickslow said. "Oh yeah, and we got another person joining us; a real hottie!"

"Please refrain from calling me that," Jillian requested as she appeared.

"Sure thing, sweetheart, welcome to the team!" Bickslow said.

"Go team!" the dolls cheered.

"It's nice to have you with us, I look forward to working with you," Wendy said to the Corporal.

"Likewise, Sky Maiden," the Combat Healer replied before she addressed Gohan. "My comrades have already left with your guildmates. Hugo is with Titania, and Weinheidt left with two other mages with a mission from your master."

"And what about Android Thir-I mean, Chief Tyson?" Gohan asked.

"He'll be going with you, along with Marshal Lahar and Doranbolt," she answered. "We should get going." She then turned and walked away with Bickslow and his dolls following her.

"Be careful out there, Wendy," Gohan told the Dragon Slayer.

"You too, Gohan, and good luck!" she bid the Demi Saiyan before hurrying after her teammates. Gohan then went over to where Doranbolt, Lahar, and Tyson were waiting for him.

"Time to hightail it, city boy!" Tyson said.

"Then let's get going," Gohan said before grabbing Doranbolt. Chief Tyson picked up Marshal Lahar and the four flew over to where they would encounter the members of the Neo Oracion Seis.

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsu, Elfman, Lucy, and Michelle were quickly approaching their destination. "Come on, you guys, let's pick up the pace! We gotta beat those Oracion jerks before they wreck everything!" Natsu exclaimed. "Plus I wanna hurry up and rub it in others' faces that our team completed our mission first!" The Salamander then started running at high speed.

"A real man knows that you gotta slow down and not watse all your energy before a big fight, Natsu!" Elfman stated as he ran to catch up to the Dragon Slayer.

"Then why the hell are you trying to outrun me?! What kind of man does the exact opposite of what he's saying?!" Natsu demanded.

"A man who wants to win!" Elfman retorted. The two glared at each oter as they started to go even faster.

"Hey, you guys, calm down! You're getting worked up over nothing!" Lucy cried as she chased after the men while franctically waving her arms. Pretty soon, all three fairies had ran off, leaving Michelle by herself. Lucy's sister carried an expressionless face as she placed two fingers to her forehead.

" _Michelle, reporting!"_ she said telepathically.

At the same time, another telepathic message came through. _"Cardinal Lapointe also reporting,"_ the Cardinal of Zentopia spoke.

" _Must you both use those pitiful names when you're speaking to me?"_ Midnight questioned through the link. _"They're merely covers for your missions, but it is your true names that define who you are, don't forget that!"_

" _As you wish, Lord Brain,"_ Michelle replied.

" _Hmph, if you would like us to use our true names, then shouldn't you use yours, Midnight?"_ Lapointe asked.

" _My name is Brain II, to symbolize that I have inherited my father's dreams, his ambitions, and his desire to bring about the ultimate destruction: the inevitable chaos born from the Holy War!"_ Midnight stated. _"That is who I am now. Now tell me your reports, Zero, Imitatia."_

" _Yes, Lord Brain. The teams of Fairy Tail have been chosen and are now headed toward different locations where they'll hope to encounter anyone from the Neo Oracion Seis,"_ Imitatia reported.

" _The Legion Platoon has also been dispersed to complete their assignments,"_ Lapointe said.

" _Excellent. Do you think our comrades will have any trouble against the Guild or Zentopian mages?"_ Midnight inquired.

" _If the teams of Fairies' cooperation is anything like my team's, then they are no match for the Six Demons,"_ Imitatia answered.

" _Whether the Legion Platoon fights against or alongside Fairy Tail, they won't be able to stop the end that is coming,"_ Lapointe said. _"Our plan is flawless."_

" _What about the Saiyan Gohan?"_ Midnight inquired.

" _He has fully recovered from his wounds and is ready to engage Rancor again,"_ Imitatia answered. _"He almost won the first battle, and I do not believe he'll make the same mistake twice."_

" _What should be done about that boy? He may very well put an end to our plans if hr defeats Rancor or the Neo Oracion Seis,"_ Lapointe stated.

" _Not to worry, comrade Rancor has told us that he has a plan for this Saiyan child,"_ Midnight assured them. _"A little gas blast from the past he calls it, and he says it ensure Gohan's demise. Niether him nor Fairy Tail will be able to stop us when we're manipulating this game."_

" _Lord Brain,"_ Imitatia called to the dark mage. _"I should inform you that the Magic Council has sent a few of their best officers to ally with Fairy Tail."_

" _Who?"_

" _Two members of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit and Chief Tyson of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit along with his subordinates, the Indian Knight Trio,"_ Imitatia replied.

" _Interesting,"_ Brain mused.

" _Should we be of concern?"_ Lapointe asked.

" _Of course not, it's too late for those Council fools' interference to have any effect on our plans,"_ Midnight answered. _"No matter who stands against us, we will bring this world to its knees and show the true power of the Neo Oracion Seis! Now go and make sure everything continues to proceed as planned, until there is one final piece we need… Lucy Heartfilia."_

" _Soon, I will have my sister back, and I won't let anything separate us again!"_ Imitatia declared.

" _By the way, Imitatia, Jackpot has something for you. A little gift from Rancor that may come in handy; be sure to use it."_ Brain II gave his final instructions before the link was severed. Imitatia then changed her expression as she ran after the Fairies.

"Oh, Michelle, there you are," Lucy said when she noticed her sister. "Sorry we left you behind like that."

"It's ok, big sister Lucy," Michelle assured while smiling. "We all want to get our missions over with pretty quickly."

"Yeah, so let's stick together and finish our mission! Time to teach those Oracions a lesson!" Lucy proclaimed before heading off again.

Michelle hurried after her as her face became neutral again and she thought, _"Don't worry, big sister, I'll make sure we're together… even when the world finally ends."_

* * *

Elsewhere, a young girl in a small white dress stood on top of a big hill in front of a large tree; she watched as the wind blew the leaves off the tree with a grief stricken face as though she were awaiting something. In her arms was a small green creature, a Nikola, wearing its own stern look. "I'm afraid we're getting to the end," she muttered to the Celestial Spirit. "Hey Nico, how long do you think this tree will live?" Although Nico gave no official response, it let out a low grunting sound. A man in church clothing soon came running up the hill.

"Miss Katja!" he called to the girl. "What in the world are you doing up here?!"

"I was just looking at this tree," the girl named Katja replied without facing the man.

"It's far too dangerous for you to be outside on your own like this," the man told her while catching his breath. "Haven't you heard about what's been going on?"

"Of course I've heard. I know there aren't that many left," Katja said.

"That's true," the man agreed.

"That's why I came out here, in the hopes that this tree would remember me," Katja continued. "Just a hope."

"Miss Katja, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Fabrizio was discovered and taken away," the man reported.

"I see, then it is very likely that I will be next," Katja mused before addressing the Nikola in her arms. "If you get too scared, you can always just run away, ok Nico?" The Celestial Spirit once again grunted to her.

* * *

In another location… _"As far as Fortunetelling goes, Cana's the best there is, and she's almost always dead on!"_ Lucy thought as she, Natsu, Michelle, and Elfman stood near a local church sight. Staring down at them was the wicked grin-wearing Jackpot from on top of one ledge and the stern-looking Lord Byro on top of another. The Mages of Fairy Tail stood fearless and ready as they prepared to settle the score with the Legion Platoon and the Neo Oracion Seis.

 **A/N: Done! Well, this didn't take too long! Now onto the next chapter, and I'll keep working on this fanfic till I'm through with the Key of the Starry Heavens arc. Next we'll see some of the fights between the teams with Fairy Tail members and Custody Officers against the Neo Oracion Seis; plus you'll learn what Rancor's combat drug is for and how it works. Things are getting more and more exciting, wouldn't you agree? I'll see ya next time, until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail**

 **Chapter 18**

In one of Fiore's libraries, Gohan, Lahar, Mest, and Tyson were continuing the investigation. The Demi Saiyan and the Cyborg were standing behind the mages, who were scanning through different books. Well, Lahar was, anyway; Mest seemed to be getting bored as the minutes went by. "Man, I'm going on a bender when we're done with all this," the teleporter groaned. "Speaking of, are you getting any closer?" he asked his friend.

"I think I'm finally starting to connect the dots," Lahar answered. "I can't thank you enough Doran—Mest."

"So, care to share with the rest of us, partner?" Tyson spoke up.

The four were then transported to another place. Inside, they saw numerous victims of the Neo Oracion Seis attacks; there were countless bodies of former Celestial Wizards placed on platforms. The bodies were encased in gold as though it was their skin and their faces were twisted with horror and pain, which made Gohan cringe at the sight. _"This is even worse than all those corpses I had to bury on Namek,"_ he thought. _"I can still feel their life forces, but it's faint. I'm not sure if they're alive or not."_ Beside one of the bodies was a shattered silver celestial key.

"The Neo Oracion Seis have been destroying churches all over Fiore," Lahar explained. "The attacks seemed random, but I found out that those churches were sheltering specific people, and each one was a Celestial Wizard." The group was then transported in front of what looked like another church building.

"What's so special about them? Was there any record of them in Zentopia's documents?" Mest inquired.

"They were assumed to be corpses at first," Lahar continued. "However…"

"They're still alive, aren't they?" Gohan inquired. "I can still sense their life forces, so what's really happened to them?"

"It's similar to a freezing seal, almost like… never mind, that's not important now," Lahar said as he led the three to the church hall. "What matters is that their current condition is exactly how the Celestial mage Chief Tyson rescued had described it would be once they were attacked and their links were severed. Also, I believe there may be some kind of cabal operating from inside Zentopia. All signs point to something big about to go down and it's centered around them."

" _If that's true, then Coco could be in danger,"_ Gohan thought.

"Sounds like we need to find out who they are before they wind up as dead as their buddies," Mest mused.

Inside the building, the green Nikola groaned, getting his mage's attention. "What is it, Nico? Did you hear something?" Katja asked her friend, who just groaned again in response; the Celestial Spirit seemed to be shaking with fear. "There's nothing to worry about, it's probably just the servant staff coming back from their supply run," the Mage assured her spirit. The door suddenly opened and the two looked up to see who entered; standing at the top of the stairs were the Council officers and the half Saiyan of Fairy Tail.

"Hello," Mest greeted.

"Afternoon," Lahar said.

"Howdy," Tyson spoke.

"Hi," Gohan said.

"Who are you?" Katja questioned as she stood from her chair.

"A spirit! You're a Celestial Wizard?" Lahar inquired the girl.

"She looks just like…" Gohan muttered.

"Wendy," Mest gasped.

"Run!" Katja cried as she turned to flee; the four quickly appeared in front of her.

"Wait! Please listen," Lahar insisted as he grabbed her wrist.

"Let me go!" she yelled as her spirit started swatting at Lahar's leg.

"Calm down. My name is Lahar, Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit. These are my associates, Mest and Chief Tyson," Lahar introduced while Nico pulled on his cheek, getting everyone to sweatdrop. The spirit then fell off and the Marshal fixed his glasses. "We're conducting an investigation."

"Into what exactly?" Katja asked curiously as Nico climbed to her shoulder. As Lahar continued to converse with the mage, Mest and Gohan continued to stare at her.

"Wow! She looks so much like Wendy," Gohan stated.

"Yeah, the resemblance is uncanny," Mest agreed.

" _I wonder how she and the others are doing,"_ the Saiyan wondered. _"I can still sense their Ki, so they probably haven't engaged the Neo Oracion Seis yet."_

* * *

Elsewhere, Natsu, Elfman, and Lucy were about to face off against Jackpot near another church building; the mechanical bear laughed as he gazed at his playmates. "I don't know what you are, you freak, but you sure ain't a man!" Elfman commented. Michelle turned to look at the Leader of the Legion Platoon, who was staring down at the two sides about to fight.

"I'll be sure to deal with you later! You hear me, Octo-geezer?!" Natsu called to Byro but got no reply.

"Watch out, I've got a big surprise for lucky guys like you!" Jackpot declared as he pushed his lever down. Elfman charged at the machine with his beast arm while Natsu unleashed a breath of fire. "Looky here!" Jackpot exclaimed as his slot landed on three popsicles. "Cool down with a magic ice pop!" A giant popsicle suddenly fell from the sky and landed in front of Jackpot; Natsu's fire attack crashed into it, melting it and creating a wall of steam around the area.

"I can't see!" Elfman cried as he threw his fist and struck the person in his path… which was Natsu.

"Punch him, not me!" the Dragon Slayer yelled.

"Crap, sorry, bro," Elfman apologized.

"We can't beat him like this! We have to start working together, guys!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Elfman agreed.

"Ok, let's do it!" Natsu said.

Lucy brought out a gold key to call on one of her spirits. "Cancer, will you lend us a hand?" The Crab barber appeared, ready to do his job.

"I'm on it, baby!" Cancer said as he rushed toward the enemy.

"Manly charge!" Elfman yelled as he advanced again.

" **Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"** Natsu announced while sending another blaze attack at the Oracion.

"Oh yeah, I'm getting lucky today! I hit the steel walls!" Jackpot cheered as his slot landed on three metal walls; the steel walls fell and imprisoned the three in a metal barrier, where those who weren't fire proof were roasted alive.

"WATCH IT, NATSU!" Elfman barked.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO BOIL ME?!" Cancer yelled.

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" the Salamander cried.

"That… went wrong," a surprised Lucy said. The three male mages continued to argue with themselves. "Would you guys please stop fighting each other?!"

"They don't seem like a good match to me," Michelle said.

"I know, but Cana used her power to create these teams," Lucy stated. "They're supposed to work well together and be perfect for the task at hand. She's usually right on the money about these kinds of things."

* * *

In another location, Hugo, Erza, Max, and Evergreen were scaling up a large mountain; the wannabe Titania was constantly groaning the longer they went up the mountain.

" _So this is what teamwork feels like?"_ Max thought.

"Come on, guys, slow down! My feet are killing me!" Evergreen whined.

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn high heels for mountain climbing," Max suggested.

"Sorry Max, but I am a Fairy after all," Evergreen retorted.

"What the heck does that even mean?" Max inquired.

"Owie, owie, owie," the Fairy groaned again.

"Just shut up and keep walking!" Erza ordered.

"Please forgive me, Queen Erza! I thought I might get a wee bit of sympathy from my teammates but it seems my pain only annoys you!" Evergreen stated sarcastically.

"You seem to have plenty of energy, instead of wasting it on a hissy fit, just keep moving," Erza replied.

"Well I'd never!" Evergreen scoffed while fanning herself. "She just doesn't understand the concept of being strong _and_ ladylike."

The Requip mage suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at her comrade/rival. "What was that? Say it again!" she dared the Fairy.

"Oh, never mind," Evergreen dismissed.

"Aw man, this trip sucks big time. Why'd I have to get stuck with these two harpies?" the Sand mage muttered.

The Indian Knight suddenly disappeared from in front of the group and reappeared before Evergreen; he then lowered himself and placed his hands behind him. "Get on my back, I'll carry you the rest of the way," he offered.

"My, how chivalrous," Evergreen remarked as she got on Hugo's back. "Just like how a Fairy should be treated!"

"Uh, Mr. Hugo sir, are you sure you're ok with carrying her up the mountain?" Max questioned. "It's still a long way and she could be heavy for you."

"How dare you!" Evergreen cried indignantly.

"We're supposed to be engaging at least one of the members of the Neo Oracion Seis, which means that each of us needs as much energy as we can conserve for the battle. We can't afford to let even one of us be exhausted yet," Hugo answered.

"But aren't you worried about saving your energy?" Max inquired.

"I've been trained by my chief in energy manipulation, so I know how to preserve it very well," Hugo replied. "Besides, the energy I'm using to climb and carry her is nothing compared to the energy I'll be using in the fight."

"I didn't realize it was possible for a mage to learn how to use Ki so proficiently," Erza remarked.

"There's a lot you don't realize, _Titania_ ," Hugo said with a little spite. "Now let's get going, we've wasted enough time." And on that note, Hugo continued on his way with the female Thunder Legionnaire on his back. Max and Erza looked at each other before following after him.

"Uh, Hugo sir, if you don't mind me asking, do you not like Erza?" the Sand Mage inquired.

"What would give you the impression that I bare any dislike for _Titania_?" Hugo asked back.

"The way you say that name, for instance," Erza answered. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"How unladylike for you to not know when you offended someone," Evergreen commented, making Erza to roll her eyes. "Truly unfit for the Fairy Queen."

Hugo ignored her statement. "You haven't actually done anything to hurt me, it's just you that's the problem," he replied.

"Just me? What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"I'm a knight, and I take that role very seriously," Hugo explained. "A knight is supposed to only wear armor when they're defending something they care about, when they go into battle. They're not just a warrior in a metal suit, and you're the weapon of offense and defense, fighting for honor, righteousness, and loyalty." The Indian Knight glanced at the Fairy Queen. "But when I look at you, I don't see any of what a knight's meant to be. Your magic is one that allows you to switch from one armor to another and is called 'The Knight.' It's supposed to be a knight's greatest skill in adaptability, but your display of it is completely different. You put on armors for comfort and to hide your own insecurities. On you, those suits seem like nothing more than fashion statements and outer shells, and that is the ultimate disgrace for a knight. The only thing that comes close is my dark magic, but you can see why I do not truly respect you."

"But you don't know anything about me, and I hardly think that someone who emits such a menacing magic power can criticize me on being a knight," Erza said.

Hugo said nothing for a moment before answering, "Perhaps you're right, but I never asked for this power. If I had it my way, I'd have your magic instead, so that I could use it properly." His final statement left Erza speechless as the four continued up the mountain.

* * *

In another location, Bickslow, Jillian, and Wendy had just passed a farmland with numerous cows and were now scaling their own mountain. The three easily climbed upward as they approached their destination. "How you girls holding up?" Bickslow asked.

"Don't worry, we're fine," Wendy answered.

"We're getting pretty close, it's just over this mountain pass," Bickslow said.

"That's great!" Wendy exclaimed. Suddenly, dark clouds appeared, darkening the sky instantly. "Huh? A thunderstorm."

"Well, that's weird. I've always heard mountain weather is unpredictable but…" Bickslow stated. At that moment, the three were hit with an intense rain blast. "What the? This storm just came out of nowhere!"

"Be on guard! We're not alone here!" Jillian warned her comrades.

"What was the weather like yesterday… I can't seem to remember," a voice echoed through the air. The three looked up to see a man wearing a dark cloak, resting on a larger boulder with a giant scythe across his shoulders. Lightning flashed around him as he stared down at his foes.

"Is he one of the Neo Oracion Seis?" Jillian questioned.

"Yeah, it's that guy who calls himself Grim Reaper," Bickslow said. "He's like one big walking black cloud."

"He used to be called Erigor; he was with the dark guild Eisenwald," Wendy stated.

"I know nothing of Erigor or Eisenwald, those names have no meaning to me," the Storm Mage said.

"Give me a break, man, you have gotta have the world's worst memory," Bickslow commented.

"Maybe, but I do know what's coming next," the Grim Reaper muttered.

"Don't underestimate him, there's something about him that's completely off," Jillian advised.

"Cloud burst from above!" Erigor exclaimed. A massive gust of wind suddenly poured down from the sky, and the three quickly sidestepped it. The wind blast struck the ground, creating a big hole in the dirt. "And tornados ripping through the air!" He waved his weapon, creating a twister to strike his enemies from behind, but Jillian blocked it with her staff. "I am able to create weather patterns that defy the very laws of nature and can destroy pesky little flies like you!"

"You stay back, Councilwoman, we'll handle this guys no sweat!" Bickslow said to Jillian.

"Here Bickslow, I'll support you!" Wendy said as she used her magic on her guildmate. Bickslow's body started glowing green while Wendy's glowed blue; the two fairies jumped to attack the Oracion.

"Listen up, you windbag, we ain't no flies! We're the Fairy Tail wizards who are gonna kick your butt!" Bickslow declared.

"Powerful gust from below!" Erigor yelled as he swung his scythe. The two mages were knocked out of the sky and blown into a stone wall. "What's wrong? Are you nothing but talk?"

"Dammit!" Bickslow said.

"I can heal you!" Wendy stated.

"There's no time, we gotta stay on the offensive!" Bickslow instructed.

"Fairy Tail… I don't know it," Grim Reaper claimed as he raised his scythe again. "However, I do know that dark skies are coming." Lightning flashed through the skies, growing more and more intense. "A VIOLENT THUNDERSTORM, RAINING DOWN FROM ABOVE!" The Storm mage threw his weapon down, firing a dark twister combined with lightning at his enemies.

"Stand back, I can stop it!" Wendy said as she stood in front of Bickslow. **"Sky Dragon Roar!"** The little mage let out a breath of wind that collided with Erigor's attack and canceled it out.

"I don't understand this guy, it's like he's soulless!" Bickslow stated when he saw his magic was ineffective on the Oracion.

"Followed by lightning directly behind you!" Erigor added. Another lightning blast came at the fairies' back; Bickslow quickly blocked it with his dolls acting as a magic shield.

"Too slow, pal!" Bickslow said as his dolls fell to the ground while another group of toys flew around the dark mage and glowed. "I've already moved their souls into different dolls, so now you're gonna get it!" the Seith mage explained as he created a giant magic circle. **"Point Blank Barrier Formation!"** The dolls fired a magic blast at the Oracion, but the attack missed as the Grim Reaper levitated into the sky.

"He got away!" Wendy cried.

"What the heck? I didn't know that he could fly!" Bickslow said.

"Neither did I, seems I have forgotten," Erigor said as he landed on another rock. "Can you tell me who you people are again?"

"Seriously?" Bickslow inquired.

"Did he actually forget that he was fighting against us?" Wendy asked. The Storm mage sent another gust of wind at the Fairies. **"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!"** the Sky Maiden exclaimed as she fired her counterattack.

"Are you really foolish enough to use wind magic against a man who can control the weather?!" Erigor asked the little girl. "That was your last mistake!" Erigor deflected Wendy's attack and raised his weapon to gather more winds.

"Wendy, you gotta get out of the way!" Bickslow yelled, but the Dragon Slayer remained frozen in fear.

"I can create a wind so powerful nothing can withstand it!" The Grim Reaper stated before unleashing his massive wind storm and aimed it at the Sky Maiden. Just as he was about to attack, Jillian appeared behind him, looking angry. "What's this? Who are you?"

" **Eye Beams!"** Jillian shouted as she fired powerful Ki blasts through her eyes; her attacks collided with a magic circle Erigor summoned at the last second, exploding instantly. The Combat Healer landed in front of the Fairies defensively. "So you'd attack an innocent girl without hesitation? That is something I cannot allow!" Jillian suddenly flared her Ki as she took a fighting position. "Both of you stay out of this and rest; I'm taking over this fight!" she told her comrades as she aimed her staff at the Storm mage. She launched a Ki blast atErigor, but he quickly flew into the air, evading the attack completely.

"That attack, I've seen something like it before… but I… can't remember," Erigor muttered. "A thunderstorm aimed right above you!" He swung his scythe, throwing a storm at the Indian Knight; he was surprised when she created an energy dome to shield herself.

"Heh! Protective Barrier never fails! Thank you, Chief Tyson!" Jillian said.

"Impossible! Nothing should be able to withstand my storm magic!" Erigor shouted. "Try this, lightning from in front of you!" A wave of electricity flew through the air and headed toward Jillian. The female knight smiled as she channeled Ki into her right hand. She traced her Ki-infused hand through the air in a distinct circular motion; the lightning attack stopped right in front of her before swerving and flying right back at the sender. Erigor was too shocked to react to his attack coming for him; the Storm mage cried in agony as he was electrocuted and plummeted toward the earth. "H-How did you turn my own Storm magic on me?" he asked. "Not even nature can defy my power!"

"Gotcha now, Wire Trapping Cage!" Jillian exclaimed as she summoned Ki wires from her fingers; they stretched to capture the dark mage, but he quickly got up and flew through the air to evade them. He then swung his scythe again, sending another gale attack at Tyson's student. The attack crashed into the ground, creating a smoke wall. Just when Erigor thought he got her, someone behind him asked, "Looking for me?" The Grim Reaper turned around to see Jillian behind him; instinctively, he swung his scythe at her but she flew through the air, surprising him.

" _How is there anyone who can soar through the skies without using magic like mine?"_ Erigor thought. This, however, made him pause in his attacking, which Jillian noticed.

"You left yourself wide open!" she shouted, taking advantage of his hesitation. **"Scattering Energy Bullets!"** The Rune Knight unleashed a barrage of energy blasts at the Grim Reaper, who put up a magic circle to defend himself; the attacks crashed into the magic seal and after continuously pounding against it, the attacks broke through the seal and pummeled the Storm mage. Erigor crash-landed while Jillian slowly descended to the ground.

"Unbelievable, this chick's taking him apart without breaking a nail," Bickslow remarked.

"Wow! Ms. Jillian is amazing!" Wendy stated.

The female Knight slowly approached the fallen Oracion. "Surrender Erigor, it's over!" she ordered.

Erigor's body trembled as he looked up at the Healer. "Not yet," he muttered as he brought out a vial with red liquid. "I don't remember how I got this or what it does, but I remember that I am not one who accepts defeat so easily!" Erigor then opened his mouth and drank the combat drug in one go, surprising his foes. The dark mage swallowed and cried out as he started channeling a dark red magical aura; the fairies and the knight quickly backed away from him as he was consumed in a bright red light.

" _What's going on? This guy's Ki is going haywire!"_ Jillian thought. _"What was that weird liquid he drank? Is that what's boosting his power?"_ The light finally died down and Erigor was seen standing with his eyes closed and his blade on the ground; when he slowly picked it up and placed it on his shoulder, he released a massive wave of energy. _"What the hell? The force of his energy is cutting through my defenses! Such power!"_ Jillian thought before she turned to the Fairies. "Stay back, you two! Get to cover and keep each other safe!" The mages nodded as they quickly left and hid behind some rocks. Jillian took a stance as she prepared to face Grim Reaper, who opened his eyes to reveal them to be pupil-less. Erigor then swung his scythe at Jill, and she quickly twirled her staff to form an energy barrier as the Storm mage sent a wind blast at her. The gale attack collided with her barrier and pushed against it; pieces of the shield started flying off until it eventually shattered and the Combat Healer was blown away. _"No way, he just dissolved my energy shield with a mere flex of his power!"_

Erigor glanced at his hand, closing it a few times before he charged at the female knight. He swung his scythe down on her but she quickly blocked it with her staff. The two pushed against each other, letting their energies mix while they clashed. _"I can't believe he's capable of matching my power! Is he suddenly using Ki now?!"_ Jillian wondered before asking the Oracion. "Tell me, what was that liquid you drank? Why'd it make you so much stronger?!"

Instead of answering her question, the Grim Reaper asked, "Who are you? Who am I?"

Jillian powered up and backed away from the Oracion. _"What's with this guy?"_ she thought. _"It's clear I can't charge at him head-on or else he'll just blow me away again. I should aim for his blind spot like before. Even if he can match my strength, he can't keep up with my speed!"_ Jillian then disappeared from Erigor's view and started moving around the battlefield at a fast rate. The mages frantically looked around to try and find the Rune Knight.

"Yo, why's that council chick running around like that?" Bickslow asked. "Does she have some kind of plan to beat this guy?"

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Wendy said.

Erigor continued to scan the area in search for the Combat Healer. "What should I do? What do I have to counter with? I can't remember any of my abilities!" he stated. Jillian suddenly phased behind him and channeled Ki into her right fist; she threw it straight at the Grim Reaper's back. At the last second, Erigor put up his arms to block the attack, but what truly caught Jillian off guard was when his entire body was warped in a human-shaped tornado. **"Storm Mail!"** Erigor yelled. Jill's fist crashed into his gale armor and pushed against it until it was canceled out.

"What? No way, how did he do that? What kind of spell is this?" Jillian muttered in awe.

"Storm Mail… that spell seems familiar to me… but I can't remember a time I used it," Erigor mused. "Tell me, who am I? How am I able to do something like this?" As he spoke, his winds grew more intense and started to blow Jillian away; she quickly stabbed her staff into the ground to help withstand the gale force.

"Dammit! His power just keeps on growing! Whatever that thing he drank was, its effects don't seem to be wearing off anytime soon," she noted. The Storm Mage suddenly flew toward the Rune Knight while still using his Storm Mail; she instinctively jumped to the side to avoid the Grim Reaper, but he quickly swerved through the air and struck her in the back. _"Ugh, he's a lot faster than before. I won't be able to dodge him so easily!"_ she thought. Erigor continued to pound Jillian using his gale armor as a battering ram.

"Oh no, we've gotta help her!" Wendy cried. She tried to rush over to the Rune Knight but she was grabbed by her guildmate.

"We can't just race over there, we need a plan first, kid!" Bickslow said.

"It's time to end this!" Erigor declared as he created a magic seal with his hand. **"Storm Bringer!"** The Oracion waved his hand, forming a massive tornado that swallowed Jillian; her screams were heard as she endured the violent windstorm. The Rune Knight was slammed into the ground when Erigor's attack was finished.

" _Err, this isn't good! This guy's totally kicking my ass here! The Chief would be so disappointed,"_ Jillian thought as she struggled to stand back up.

"I'm surprised that you were able to survive that attack," Erigor stated. "I may not know who you are or who I am, but I know that you cannot defeat me."

" _If I don't of something fast, I'm done for!"_ Jill thought while using her staff to stand. _"At this point, I've only got one more attack left to use."_ The Combat Healer took heavy breaths as she raised her staff above her head. "Sorry, Chief Tyson, I know you said never to use this attack on a human, but I don't have any other choice." Her staff started glowing as she gathered energy into it; she then aimed her weapon at the Grim Reaper and yelled, **"Extermination Ray!"** The Combat Healer fired her enormous energy disintegration beam; it traveled across the ground, incinerating it and any rock it touched as it flew toward the dark mage. Erigor gave a neutral expression as he simply swung his scythe and formed a giant twister around himself. Jillian's blast made contact with the tornado, but instead of disintegrating it, it swirled around with the tornado's rotation, going higher until it was redirected right back at the Rune Knight. Jillian's eyes grew wide and she jumped into the air just before the blast hit her; it collided with the ground and exploded on impact, causing a shockwave that disoriented the Corporal. _"Damn, I didn't think he could launch my attack back at me; how reckless of me! Guess that's the reason the Chief said never to use it on another human,"_ she thought. She then sensed someone behind her and glanced back, but it was too late.

Erigor swung his blade, slashing Jillian in the back. Blood sprayed out of her back as she fell toward the ground. The Storm Mage crossed his fingers and formed a magic seal. "It's over. **Storm Shredder!** " he exclaimed as numerous blades of wind came out of the circle and struck Jillian repeatedly. Her clothes were shredded, revealing her torso, legs, and arms all bruised. She collapsed on the rocky surface when the assault had ended. "I'm surprised your body's still intact after that," Erigor admitted. "You're truly strong and yet… I don't even know your name. But in a few minutes, you'll be dead and I'll have forgotten our battle, so there's no point in knowing." Jillian glanced up at the Grim Reaper, who was about to live up to his title by killing her. Erigor raised his scythe, ready to deliver the final blow, when suddenly…

" **Sky Dragon Roar!"** A gale blast from a different source flew straight at him, though he easily blocked it with his Storm Wall. He looked down to see that his attacker was the Sky Maiden of Fairy Tail. "I thought I was the one who couldn't remember anything; have you forgotten that your wind attacks have no effect on the Storm master, child?!" he demanded as he sent his own wind blast at the Dragon Slayer. Bickslow's dolls suddenly appeared in front of Wendy and blocked the attack.

"You ok there, Wendy?!" Bickslow asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Bickslow," she replied.

"It seems you flies don't know when to give up!" Erigor exclaimed. He followed up by sending a tornado blast at the two.

Bickslow quickly blocked the attack with his dolls. "Wendy, I'll distract this guy! Go help Jillian!" he instructed. "Alright, babies, **Victory Formation!** " His dolls arranged themselves in a V-shape and fired a blast at the Storm mage. Erigor simply blocked the attack with his Storm Wall. "Wendy, go!"

"Right!" Wendy agreed. She held out her hands. "Here, let me just give you a power boost first! **Arms!** " A blue light encompassed his body as his power increased. While Erigor blocked the attack, Wendy raced around Bickslow, heading for Jillian.

Erigor fired another gust of wind at the older mage that was once again blocked by his babies when he noticed the little girl running to Jillian. Raising his scythe, he unleashed a bolt of lightning at the ground in front of her, sending her flying back with a scream.

The Grim Reaper started to fly toward her but noticed another blast coming his way and swiftly intercepted it with another Storm Wall. "Keep going, Wendy! I've got your back!" Bickslow shouted. "Sorry pal, but if you wanna get to her, you gotta beat me!"

Wendy stood up and continued on her path while Bickslow had his babies fire more blasts at the dark mage. It was futile, however, as Erigor simply blocked them again. This time, he retaliated by sending a bolt of lightning at him, striking the Seith mage.

Hearing his cry of pain, Wendy stopped to look back at him. "Bickslow!" she cried.

"That moment of hesitation has sealed your fate!" Erigor stated, sending an intense blast of wind at the Dragon Slayer that blew her away. He floated over her as he prepared to finish her off. "Time to exterminate a fly, **Emera Baram!** " he called, sending an enormous amount of wind at the young girl, who couldn't react in time to dodge the attack.

However, at the last second, a figure jumped in front of her, and Wendy realized it was Jillian. With her body emitting Ki, she took the attack head-on, shielding Wendy from it entirely. Once it ended, she stood for a couple of seconds before collapsing.

"Ms. Jillian!" Wendy cried. "Oh no… this is all my fault!"

"Now to finish you all off! **Storm Bringer!** " Erigor created a huge tornado that surrounded the three of them. When the tornado vanished, the three fell to the ground, Wendy could still move since she was the least injured, but Jillian and Bickslow were badly hurt.

"No, Bickslow… Ms. Jillian," Wendy muttered as she pushed herself up and looked at her fallen comrades. "What do I do?"

* * *

Elsewhere, Gray Fullbuster and Freed Justine had made it to their location, which was a crystallized fortress. Inside they came face-to-face with the divine beauty of the Neo Oracion Seis: the dark mage Angel. "Oh my, what do we have here? Two handsome men have come just to see me. Hello, boys," Angle greeted the fairies sultrily.

"She's with the Neo Oracion Seis!" Gray exclaimed.

"Angel, if I'm not mistaken," Freed noted.

"What… a… babe!" Dan shouted as he went up to the Oracion and grasped her hand. "You're the beauty of my dreams!"

"That's not really a compliment," Angel said.

"Who's that? One of her allies?" Freed inquired.

"Are you kidding?!" Angel and Gray shouted.

"Dan Straight of the Legion Platoon at your service! Lupey-pie is old news now, I've devoted my heart to this Angel!" Dan announced.

"I'll have you know, my loyalty lies with Laxus!" Freed stated.

"Why are you competing with him?" Gray questioned his teammate; the mages then heard a soft melody echoing through the cave. "What's that music playing?"

"Where's it coming from?" Freed wondered.

The mages looked around until they spotted the musician: Lady Solaseed. The Zentopian nun stepped into the light before ceasing the playing of her flute and concealing it. "Greetings, Gray Fullbuster and Freed Justine of the Fairy Tail guild, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said while bowing to the Fairies. She then turned to glance at Angel and frowned. "I wish I could say the same for you, Miss Angel, but you and your allies disgraced Zentopia and caused us a lot of trouble."

"And who might you be?" Angel asked.

"Forgive me, I am Solaseed of the Legion Platoon," Solaseed introduced herself. "I am Zentopia's head nun and personal teacher of its doctrines."

"She's with the Legion Platoon?" Gray asked. "I didn't think there were any more of those guys."

"The Legion Platoon… that's the group the Oracion Seis used to attack our guild for the clock pieces, right?" Freed inquired. "It would seem that Zentopia has decided to increase its numbers to overcome these dark times."

"So what are you here for?" Gray asked.

"I am here to assist Sir Dan on his mission," Solaseed replied. "As you can see, he finds it difficult to focus, so I must ensure that he focuses straight on defeating the enemy. Pardon the pun." The nun then turned to the Knight and gave him a serious look. "Now Dan, what did we talk about before we got here?"

"To keep my quest for love on hold," Dan answered.

"Exactly, don't forget we're on a mission that could determine the fate of the world," Solaseed said.

"I know that, ma'am, but even during these crucial times, we must never close off our hearts!" Dan said. "I managed to find the light in my life after facing the jaws of darkness! This glorious Angel from heaven has graced me with her presence, and now I want nothing more than to be her personal Knight in shining armor!"

"Didn't you feel the same way about Lucy not too long ago?" Gray commented.

"What about your request to Cardinal Lapointe? Are you really willing to sacrifice Coco's freedom for the affection of this criminal?" Solaseed asked the Knight. Dan gave no answer and just looked away from his superior. "Remember why we're here: to save Coco, the Archbishop, and all of Zentopia from this world's evil! We can't afford any distractions, especially not now after the Legion Platoon's blunder led to the enemies' success!"

"You're right, Lady Solaseed. I won't let myself get distracted again, please forgive me," Dan pleaded.

"I'll let it slide. Now, take down that so-called Angel!" the nun ordered.

"Right! Sorry about this, Angey!" Dan yelled as he jumped toward the dark mage and tried to jab her with his spear. She jumped to the side, causing him to miss and stab the ground, where his magic made it shrink to a mere shard.

"Hmm, it seems that I'm in a bit of a situation here. You gentlemen wouldn't be interested in helping a defenseless angel, would you?" the Oracion asked the Fairies.

"Give me a break! You're not defenseless!" Gray refuted.

"Besides, we're here to stop you just as they are, so it'll be in our best interest to fight alongside the Legion Platoon!" Freed stated.

"Looks like you won't be turning us against each other or using us to help yourself again, dear," Solaseed said mockingly.

"Yeah! Now why don't save yourself a serious beating by telling us what you and your pals did with the Infinity Clock!" Gray suggested.

"What an idiotic question," Angel scoffed as she placed her hands on her chest. "Cost is forty. Come forth from the light, in my name embrace thy holy might!" As she spoke, she held up four gold coins that were pieces of her life force; the Fairies and the Legionnaires stood together as they braced themselves for battle.

"Angel Magic," Freed said. "Be on guard!"

"She's so heavenly, I'm on fire! But that darkness in her eyes really bothers me," Dan declared. "My spear will set her straight!"

"Despite its divine light show, I'm sensing an immense dark magic power from those coins," Solaseed observed. "This could be trouble."

Angel then tossed her coins into the air, where they shined even brighter. "Oh, angel of the sunlight, Shamsiel, I summon thee!" The coins' light then exploded, blinding the good mages; when it died down, standing before them was a giant white baby with large wings and two sheep in its hairdo.

"HEY! WHAT'S UP, FELLAS?!" Shamsiel greeted them.

"What the hell is that?!" Gray shouted.

"I don't know, but he's chubby and cute!" Dan answered.

"I found some new playmates for you," Angel told the chubby creature.

"OH BOY! LET'S PLAY CATCH! WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST?!" Shamsiel asked as he jumped toward the mages.

The Legion Knight dropped his weapons and cheerfully ran toward the sunlight angel. "I'll play with you, I'm great at catch!" Dan laughed, and he was immediately socked away by Shamsiel's large fist. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Why are you even here anyway?!" Gray questioned the Knight.

"Dan," Solaseed sighed. "Alright, time to attack!"

" **Dark Ecriture! Pain!"** Freed exclaimed as he fired his attack at the Angel.

" **Ice-Make: Saucer!"** Gray shouted as he threw an ice disk.

Both attacks struck the sunlight Angel in the chest, but there wasn't any sign of the creature being the slightest bit affected. "CUT IT OUT, THAT TICKLES!" Shamsiel giggled. He then grinned and said, "AN ANGEL'S LIGHT IS A THOUSNAD SUNS, SEE FOR YOURSELVES!" The two sheep in his hair suddenly released a bright light that blinded the mages. The Fairies were then consumed in a giant explosion.

"Try this on for size, big boy!" Solaseed yelled as she performed a series of hand movements. A magic circle appeared above the sunlight Angel as the nun yelled, **"Spiteful Saint!"** Numerous orbs of light fell from the magic seal and rained down on Shamsiel, but he only grabbed his stomach and laughed harder the more he was struck.

"HA, HA, HA! STOP, THIS IS TOO MUCH! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME WET MYSELF!" Shamsiel cried. "OH BOY, THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! LET'S KEEP PLAYING!"

"Dammit! Our attacks didn't even faze him," Solaseed muttered.

"That was an impressive attack, Ms. Solaseed," Angel complimented the nun. "But you might as well give up; you stand no chance against an Angel's might!" Freed, Gray, and Solaseed glared at the white-haired mage as they prepared to take on her giant baby thing again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Erza, Evergreen, Hugo, and Max had made it to the top of the mountain, where the Poison Dragon Slayer was waiting for them. "Well now, isn't this a treat. Not only do I get to crush the famous Titania of Fairy Tail, but I also get the Knight of Darkness Hugo Steelsoul of the Custody Enforcement Unit. How lucky am I?" Cobra stated while grinning.

"He's one of the Neo Oracion Seis!" Max exclaimed.

"He's got a creepy look on his face," Evergreen remarked.

"He's called Cobra the Poison Dragon Slayer of the 2nd Generation," Erza explained. "By his title, his magic consists of poison."

"Everyone keep your distance and don't let him touch you!" Hugo instructed before addressing Cobra. "In the name of the Custody Enforcement Unit, I demand that you surrender yourself and return the Infinity Clock to our care!" The Lieutenant took a fighting stance as he glared at the dark mage.

"I have no interest in surrendering to the likes of you!" Cobra replied.

"Then I'll just have to take it from you by force, once I've defeated you," Hugo declared. "All of you get behind me now!" The Knight then released his malicious aura; the Fairies flinched from its force but were still able to move. Cobra, however, found himself completely immobilized. The Dragon Slayer fell on one knee as he tried to fight Hugo's magic.

"Heh! So it's true, you can paralyze anyone you face in an instant," Cobra muttered. "And the way this works is by you emitting a dark magic power. It's called your Overpower magic, right?" The dark mage then smirked. "I can hear it. You're thinking, 'don't fight it, no one has ever been able to overcome your magic since the Chief.' Well I hate to break it to ya, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to bring me down!" Cobra's arms suddenly expanded while growing red scales and claws, and the Dragon Slayer then rose to his feet.

" _I can't believe he was able to fight off my Overpower magic by increasing his own power,"_ Hugo thought. _"No matter, I've been trained to handle situations like this."_ Hugo then charged at the dark mage and started throwing punches and kicks at him, but Cobra managed to swiftly avoid every one of his strikes before jabbing him in the chest. Hugo backed away and grasped his chest, where his breastplate was cracked. _"How was he able to keep up with my movements? And that strength, he managed to crack my armor in one go!"_

"I can hear your movements," Cobra stated. "I have to say, you're pretty fast, but I can still predict your strikes."

" _He said he can hear my movements, guess the Intel about him reading minds is true,"_ Hugo thought.

"That's right, I can hear it all. Your confusion, your despair, nothing is hidden from me," Cobra said. "Now may your own voice destroy you." The 2nd Generation Dragon Slayer then released a sound wave that blew Hugo away.

"Come on, we gotta help Sir Hugo!" Max stated.

"Right!" the girls agreed.

Cobra didn't even face them as he let out another sound attack; the battlefield exploded and Evergreen and Max were on their knees while Erza was still standing. "Stay down! I'll handle this!" she told her friends.

"Do you know where Cubellios is? Don't try to hide anything from me, Titania!" Cobra questioned the Fairy Queen, who gave him a confused look. "I see, you really don't know."

"So what, you're just gonna answer your own questions?" Max inquired.

"His magic allows him to hear our thoughts," Erza explained.

"You'd better not be seeping through anything private!" Evergreen protested.

"If you can't help me, then I don't need you," Cobra declared. He then snapped his fingers. Erza's earlier command was then released in a much larger vibration before exploding around the Fairies; when the smoke cleared, Erza was in her Adamantine Armor, holding her shields defensively in front of her guildmates. Her shields were cracked from the attack but none of the Fairies were harmed.

"What was that?!" Max questioned.

"More than just a listening spell!" Evergreen stated.

"He absorbed the sound of my voice and amplified it, then used it to attack!" Erza explained. She changed into her Robe of Yuen and brought out her bisento.

"I can hear it. You plan to use the elasticity of your clothing to weaken my attack, and land a strike of your own," Cobra revealed the strategy he picked from Erza's mind. The Scarlet mage charged at him and swung her weapon, but he avoided her slash effortlessly. "Close, but no cigar." Erza tried again but still missed her target. "Did you forget I hear everything, including your movements?" Cobra then palm struck Erza's abdomen, sending the sound vibrations through her body before sending her flying. "You never cease to impress! You're more dexterous than ever before; no wonder you defeated Azuma of Grimoire Heart!" Cobra commended Erza as she got to her feet.

" _Natsu defeated him by attacking without thinking, and then deafened him with a roar,"_ Erza thought. However, her mind was as clear as day to Cobra.

"You don't honestly think I'm that stupid, do you?!" the Dragon Slayer demanded furiously in response to her thoughts. "I'm not gonna fall for the same trick twice!"

"We'll see!" Erza shouted as she jumped to slash him again. He still dodged her without taking damage.

"7 years ago, I lost Cubellios…" Cobra muttered as he released another sound wave that knocked Erza off her feet.

"Erza!" Max and Evergreen cried as they rushed to help their friend.

"Then Fairy Tail took her away from me!" Cobra exclaimed as he deflected the others with another sound attack. "Return Cubellios to me now!"

"Who is that?" Erza inquired as she rose to her feet again.

Cobra turned behind him to see Hugo coming at him with a blade in his hand. "Nice try, pal!" the dark mage said as he snapped his fingers. Just like before, a sound wave was thrown toward his opponent, but this time, Hugo swung his blade, slashing through the attack and canceling it, which surprised Cobra. "How'd you do that?"

"It's my anti-Magic chakram blade! It allows me to sever and neutralize any magical attack I swing it at," Hugo explained. The Knight swung his blade rapidly at the Dragon Slayer before he was kicked to the side. Erza then tried to strike Cobra from behind, but he grabbed her bisento and used it to toss her into Hugo, sending them sliding across the ground. "Are you alright, Titania?" Hugo inquired.

"I can still fight if that's what you mean?" Erza answered.

"Good, 'cause I've got a plan," Hugo said. "I'll charge at him head-on, and he'll attack me with that sound wave he's been using. So I'll cancel it out, allowing you to get close and strike him. Just stick behind me and be ready to move!" Erza nodded as she followed Hugo to advance on Cobra. Just like he planned, Cobra released a sound wave at them and Hugo used his blade to counter it; the attack was nullified and Erza took the offensive. She slashed at Cobra many times but he still avoided her strikes. Hugo soon joined in and the two warriors double teamed the Oracion. Cobra then struck both of them in the stomach, hitting them with the sound vibrations and knocking them away.

"That was a nice plan, but it doesn't matter if you deflect my attacks! You can't hit me when I can still hear your movements!" Cobra stated. "I'm through toying with you! This one's for Cubellios!" He then took a huge breath and aimed at Titania. **"Poison Dragon Roar!"** He let out his breath attack and sent it toward the Scarlet haired mage. Hugo quickly got in front of her and severed the attack, making it pass by them without causing harm.

"Thank you for saving me," Erza said gratefully.

"Don't mention it… ever," Hugo replied. The two then resumed their fighting positions as they prepared to attack Cobra again.

* * *

Back at Katja's church hall, the Celestial mage was asked to summon her spirit to keep a lookout while they explained the situation to her. "Now, **Open Gate of the Chisel! Caelum!** " she announced as she swiped her silver key. In a flash of light, a silver machine curved into a ball appeared before Katja. "Please keep watch over us," she requested to her spirit. Caelum then shifted into a type of weapon and took position in the air. Gohan and Mest continued to gaze at the young Celestial Mage as she put her key away.

" _I can't get over how much this girl looks like Wendy,"_ Gohan thought. _"And she can open two gates at once. I heard that Lucy hadn't learned how to do that yet."_

"Um, the both of you keep staring at me," Katja stated to Gohan and Mest while looking a bit timid. "I know Celestial Wizards are kind of rare. Have either of you met some of us before?"

"Yes, but that's not why we were staring. Sorry about that," Gohan apologized.

"I hope we're not being creepy, but you just look like someone we know," Mest explained.

"Is that so?" Katja inquired. "So, who is this girl that resembles me?"

"She's from the same guild as me," Gohan answered. "She's a good friend of mine."

"I see. You know, in a strange way, I envy this girl," Katja said as she held Nico in her arms. "She's got people who care about her and will always remember her. I'd love to have someone like that. But no, even after a hundred years, I won't have anyone." She stopped to look at Gohan and Mest, who were perplexed that a girl her age was speaking with such hopelessness. She gave them a sad smile before continuing to speak. "It may sound odd, but I gave up hope a long time ago. I lost most of my friends in the attacks, I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before I join them."

"You've given up on what exactly?" Lahar asked.

"On living… in the here and now." Katja answered. "I'm resigned to my fate, so I thought I'd take as much of this age's scenery as I can while I'm still here."

"But we can protect you!" Mest argued.

"He's right! That why we came here, to save you from your fate!" Gohan said.

"Thank you both, but I don't think anyone can save me at this point," Katja said.

"We'll see about that, little missy," Tyson said. "Alright y'all, if we're gonna protect this little lady from those lowlives, then we're all gonna need to shape up and fast, ya hear!"

Gohan quickly turned to leave as he said, "I'll keep a lookout from outside. I should be able to sense the enemy if they come to attack us."

"Sure thing, city boy, just holler if ya need a hand!" Tyson told the Son of Goku. He then faced his fellow Council officers. "Okay boys, it's time for a serious workout! This is how I whipped my Indians into shape and it'll build you up pretty darn quick."

"You mean like training?" Mest inquired. "What kind of training will this be?"

"You boys know magic, right?" Tyson asked. "Well, yer gonna use those tricks of yours to catch the Chief. And ya'll better not hold back on me, ya hear?!"

Outside the church building, the Demi Saiyan was meditating on the outside balcony. Gohan sat on the air as he resumed his earlier image training. In the mind space, he was facing off against the Tufflebot in his Super Saiyan 2 form. He dashed around and fired numerous energy blasts at the machine but it easily evaded them. Gohan glared at the Hatchiyak before powering up. _"Why do you want to destroy me so much?"_ Rancor asked. _"Is it because you failed to do it the last few times we've fought?"_ Gohan charged as him and punched him hard in the face; the machine suddenly turned into a batch of gas and disappeared from Gohan's view. _"Why don't you trust me, city boy? Is it because I almost killed cher paps and your pals in the past?"_ a voice asked from behind Gohan; he turned around to see Super Android 13 smirking at him. He tried to kick it, but the Cyborg also turned into gas and disappeared. _"Why do you hate us so much? Is it really because of what we've done?"_ the voices continued to ask as the gas swirled around Gohan. _"Or it because… they remind you of me?!"_

The half Saiyan had a shocked look on his face as the gas took the form of the Bio Android of his nightmare: the monstrous Cell. The grasshopper stood behind the Demi Saiyan, smirking evilly as he started to grow in size. _"Even after you've defeated me, I still haunt you as a reminder of a failure you'll always be! You failed to stop me from killing your father and now you'll fail to save these new friends you've made in this new world! You'll let them down, just like you've always done with your allies!"_

" _No! No! NOOOO!"_ Gohan roared as he exploded in blinding light of Ki. The Son of Goku snapped out of his mental exercise and started breathing heavily. Blood was dripping from his mouth and sweat from his face.

"Um, excuse me," someone said from behind the Saiyan. Gohan turned to see Katja and Nico stepping onto the balcony. "Are you alright? You're bleeding."

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little exercise," Gohan assured as he wiped his mouth.

"Ok. May we join you?" Katja asked, getting a nod from Gohan. The Celestial mage sat beside the Z Fighter with her spirit in her arms. "Forgive me, but I never caught your name."

"It's Son Gohan," the Saiyan introduced himself.

"I'm Katja and this is Nico," Katja said while Nico groaned.

"Nice to meet you. What kind of animal is your pet, anyway?" Gohan inquired.

"If you mean Nico, then I think he's supposed to be a dog," Katja replied. "And he's not just my pet, he's my best friend. He always been by my side and he's very loyal to me." The Celestial spirit nuzzled the mage before she petted his head. Gohan reached out and petted Nico's head, too.

"I had a friend like that. His name's Icarus," Gohan said. "He was my friend, too. He would always wait for me to play with him and he made me very happy."

"Where is he now?" Katja inquired.

"We got separated. But I know he's alright," Gohan replied.

"Even though you're apart, you still carry him in your heart. That must be nice," Katja mused while smiling. "I hope Nico and I could be like that." Her words got a chuckle out of the Demi Saiyan. "What's funny?"

"Nothing. It's just, that's probably something Wendy would say," Gohan stated.

"Wendy? Is that the girl I remind you of?" Katja asked.

"Yeah. You two would get along, you're so alike," Gohan commented.

"Really, how so?" Katja inquired.

"Well, you both have blue hair and have animal companions, you're both so adorable," Gohan said, getting the mage to blush. "You're both a bit shy, and although you look a little older, your appearances are nearly identical."

"They are?" Katja asked before she noticed Gohan scanning her up and down; she then saw his eyes had stopped moving and believed them to be glancing at her chest. "I KNOW THEY'RE FLAT, BUT DON'T STARE!" she screamed while slapping the Demi Saiyan's cheek while Nico jabbed his foot with his pointy nose.

"You even share the sensitivity to your chest thing, sorry about that," Gohan said sheepishly.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize," Katja said.

"Anyway, the two of you are almost the same," Gohan continued as he removed Nico from his foot. "But one big difference is that she hasn't given up on living while you have."

"I see, she probably has people like you to thank for that," Katja said. "So, where is she now?"

Gohan's face expressed slight concern. "She on a dangerous mission right now, and I'm a little worried about what'll happen to her," he confessed. "The last one didn't go so well, and she was almost killed because of a mistake I made."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Katja said. "So, does this mission have anything to do with the attacks on churches I've heard about?"

"Yes. We're trying to stop the ones responsible. I know she's strong and resourceful, but these guys are really dangerous, so I'm concerned," Gohan admitted.

"But you don't know how she's doing because you're here with me," Katja stated. "You don't have to be here to protect me. My fate is sealed no matter what, there's nothing that can change it."

"I don't believe that!" Gohan protested. "We came here to protect you, so I'm not just gonna leave you to your fate!"

Katja stared at the Saiyan with wonder. "You'd really risk your life for someone whose time is coming to an end? Someone who has no more reason to live and awaits her demise?" she inquired.

"Yes! If there's even a chance to save you or change your fate, I'll take it!" Gohan answered. "And don't say you have no more reason to live, 'cause there's always a reason, you just have to find it. Don't think that if you died now that you'll have no one to remember you. I'm sure Nico won't forget you and neither will I! Even after a hundred years, there'll still be someone who'll have heard about you." Gohan's thoughts were brought to the time he spent with his friends from his home and then the short time he spent with Fairy Tail. "Listen, the people I've been around have always lived their lives to the fullest, and that's what they taught me. They fought to live and always had something to live for, which is why they fought so hard. That's why no matter what, you have to never give up on living, 'cause if you do, your enemies will have won and you won't be someone worth remembering. Just keep on living and never give up hope; that's how you change your fate."

The Celestial Mage looked at the Demi Saiyan in awe before smiling; she rested her head on his shoulder as the wind blew around them. "Thank you Gohan, your words have really lifted my spirit," she said softly before looking outward. "Such a nice day, a shame it's one of the few we'll be seeing in these dark times."

"Yeah, but at least we can enjoy this one," Gohan stated. He then noticed something in the distance: a pillar of green energy being shot into the sky. "Oh no," he muttered as he recognized the light show.

"What is that? Is something wrong, Gohan?" Katja asked when she saw his face.

The Saiyan got to his feet before throwing his cape off. "Katja, take Nico and get inside right away. Don't leave Tyson or Mest's side until this is over," he instructed her.

"What about you?" she inquired as she placed the Nikola on her head.

"I have to take care of something," Gohan answered as he flared his Ki. "Just tell the others to be on guard and to leave this to me. Don't worry, this shouldn't take long."

Katja looked down at Nico, who groaned at her. She then embraced the Demi Saiyan and said, "Alright, just be careful Gohan."

"I'll be fine, and I'll protect you! I promise!" Gohan declared. Katja nodded before rushing inside. Gohan then faced the direction where he spotted the pillar of light and flew toward it. As he sped over there, one thing was on his mind. _"Is it true? Do Rancor and Tyson really remind me of Cell?"_ he wondered. _"Have I not gotten over what happened at the Cell Games yet?"_ He then shook his head to clear it. _"No, I can't afford to think about that now! I have to stay focused and protect Katja! I have to stop Rancor this time!"_ He then powered up to Super Saiyan and flew faster. He finally made it to his destination, which was an open field close to a city. Hovering in the air over the soon-to-be battlefield was the fighting machine, Rancor.

"About time you got here, Saiyan, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," Rancor said mockingly. Gohan gave no answer as he glared at the Hatchiyak. "What's wrong, monkey? Still a little miffed about our last battle? Worried you won't be able to defeat me?"

"No! Things won't turn out the way they did the last time we fight!" Gohan proclaimed as he powered up to Super Saiyan 2. "This time, I'm gonna finish you and bring the war between our people to an end! Right here, right now!"

 **A/N: And done! Gotta be one of the quickest chapters I ever wrote, if not the most exhausting! Man, my shoulder needs a serious massage! Anyway, the battles between good and evil have just begun and it seems the villains will triumph. Can the heroes put a stop to their plans before it's too late?! Will Gohan be able to defeat Rancor?! Find out in the next exciting chapter of Dragon Tail Z! Thanks for your reviews and glad to see the numbers of favorites and followers for this story increases by the day; already past one hundred and still counting! Until next time, BBFN AntiHero out!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**

 **Last time on Dragon Tail Z, most of the Fairy Tail teams and the Indian Knight Trio had already engaged the members of the Oracion Seis in combat, but they weren't faring very well. Erigor was the first to take Rancor's Combat Drug and had gained extraordinary magic power from it, enough to overpower both Bickslow and Jillian, leaving little Wendy to defend her comrades. After meeting Katja and promising to change her fate, the Son of Goku saw a signal flare from Rancor and didn't hesitate to answer it.**

 _ **Gohan then powered up to Super Saiyan and flew faster; he finally made it to his destination which was an open field close by to a city. Hovering in the air over the soon to be battlefield was the fighting machine, Rancor.**_

" _ **About time you got here Saiyan, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," Rancor said mockingly. Gohan gave no answer as he glared at the Hatchiyak. "What's wrong monkey? Still a little miffed about our last battle? Worried you won't be able to defeat me?"**_

" _ **No! Things won't turn out the way they did the last time we fight!" Gohan declared as he powered up to Super Saiyan 2. "This time, I'm gonna finish you and bring the war between our people to an end! Right here, right now!"**_

 **The Demi Saiyan is preparing to face off against the Tufflebot for the second and, by his words, the final time… now!**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail**

 **Chapter 19**

The two fighters stared at each other as they got ready to have their rematch. Gohan's energy sparked the longer he gazed upon the Hatchiyak. "So, you plan to finish me this time?" Rancor inquired while smirking. "I'm afraid that won't be so easy, even if you go full power from the start." The Demi Saiyan gave no response to Rancor's taunts, which confused the machine. "Nothing to say? What's the matter, boy, monkey got your tongue?" Gohan still remained silent and took his stance. _"Something's not right, he seems a bit off,"_ Rancor thought before saying, "Well, it doesn't matter if you won't talk." The machine suddenly disappeared, reappeared behind Gohan, and grabbed his head. "'Cause I'll just pick it out from your mind!" Rancor's hand started to glow as it held the Son of Goku's cranium; after a few seconds, Gohan grabbed the Tufflebot's wrist and tossed him to the ground.

The fighting machine crashed into the ground like a meteor, creating a crater upon impact. Gohan descended to floor level as his enemy stood back up. "Stay out of my head, machine!" Gohan snarled.

"I see, so that's who I was fighting when I attacked that Church hall sheltering the Celestial Wizard," Rancor mused. "I knew this Tyson wasn't like other humans on Earthland, but I didn't think it would be another one of your old enemies! But unlike me, he's allowed these humans to reprogram him. To make him a pathetic machine who abides by the will of these inferior organic creatures, what a waste!"

"If that's how you feel, then I can assure you that won't happen to you," Gohan stated as he took his stance. "Because you won't be around for much longer!"

"Dream on, monkey! I don't plan on being destroyed by a Saiyan again!" Rancor declared.

"We'll see about that!" Gohan replied. The half Saiyan suddenly fazed to Rancor's right side and kicked him in the side of the head; the machine went flying until it crashed into a boulder. Gohan flew toward his opponent just before an energy blast was thrown his way. Gohan effortlessly deflected it but he was left open, and Rancor surprised him with a punch to the cheek. Gohan simply shook it off and threw a fist at Rancor; the Hatchiyak countered with his own fist, and the two punches collided, creating a shockwave.

Elsewhere, the Fairies and the Councilwoman were badly beaten from the fight with Grim Reaper. The Sky Maiden was currently attempting to heal Jillian's injuries with her magic. "Stay strong, Ms. Jillian! You're gonna be alright!" Wendy assured before glancing at her guildmate. "Hang in there, Bickslow. I'll get to you as soon as I'm done with Ms. Jillian!"

"W-Wendy," Bickslow groaned. "Forget about us, run while you still can."

"Listen to him, give up and run away," Erigor advised the girl as he hovered above his foes. "Unless you want to join them in suffering." To prove his point, the Storm mage raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of wind at the Dragon Slayer; Wendy screamed as she went flying through the air and landed away from her comrades. "Do you see how futile your fight is now? Nobody stands a chance against the raw power of nature," the Oracion said, only to be surprised by the Sky Maiden getting on all fours and crawling back toward her injured allies to once again attempt to heal them. "Why go to them? Why give up your chance to survive?" he asked the Maiden.

"Because… as long as I'm breathing, I'll never abandon my friends!" Wendy answered.

"What foolishness!" Erigor said as he sent another wind blast at the Dragon Slayer, but she refused to be blown away again.

"I told you to run, kid!" Bickslow yelled. "Quit playing hero and run! I know it ain't fair, but sometimes you gotta leave your friends behind!"

"No, you're wrong!" Wendy shot back. "I'm not moving from this spot, so shut up and let me save you guys!"

"Please child, just run. There's no reason for you to die with us," Jillian pleaded.

"If you abandoned them, you might've had a chance of escaping with your life," Erigor pointed out. "But now, I cannot allow any of you to flee." He then raised his scythe and twirled it; the wind around him gathered together before expanding and forming a gale barrier around the four of them. "This is my wind barrier spell; anything that touches it is rips to shreds. It's completely impenetrable, which means escape is impossible for you now!"

"Darn it, Wendy, you should've left us behind!" Bickslow yelled.

"Listen, Wendy," Jillian whispered to the Sky Maiden. "You can… still escape. My staff allows me to absorb… Ethernano, so take it and use it on his barrier. It should absorb enough to make a hole for you to slip through." The Combat Healer steadily handed her staff to the Dragon Slayer; Wendy took the staff and looked at it before pointing it at the barrier. Little blue specks were suddenly sucked out of the barrier and into Jillian's staff, cutting a hole in it. However, instead of escaping through the hole, Wendy focused the staff at the Rune Knight and continued healing her. "What are you doing?! Why didn't you run?!" Jillian demanded.

"I already told you I'm not leaving either of you behind, so stop telling me to run!" Wendy exclaimed.

"If you aren't going to run, then I'll simply finish all of you off now!" Erigor announced before crossing his fingers to form a magic circle. "Goodbye, flies! **Emera Baram!** " The Storm mage fired his strongest gale force blast at the beaten mages. Wendy watched in horror as the attack flew toward them. She glanced at her comrades before she gained a determined look on her face. She then stood up to face Erigor's attack as she spread out her arms and positioned herself in front ofBickslow and Jillian.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WENDY?!" Jillian screamed. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Are you crazy, kid?!" Bickslow questioned. "Save yourself!"

"You guys wouldn't leave me behind, and Fairy Tail never abandons their friends!" Wendy said. "So I'll do whatever it takes to protect you guys! I won't let you die no matter what happens to me!" The staff in her hand began to glow as she closed her eyes.

"Dammit!" Jillian muttered. She weakly raised her hand and channeled Ki into it… just as the attack collided with the Sky Dragon Slayer.

With another battle, Elfman had been knocked unconscious by the Oracion. At the same time, Warren was trying to send a telepathic message through one of Cana's cards, alerting the team that the Michelle they were with was an imposter, but the others were too far away to hear his message from the card in Elfman's back pocket. Natsu continued to battle Jackpot with Lucy on standby while Lord Byro spectated from the cliffside. **"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"** Natsu exclaimed as he charged at the mechanical bear.

"Oh yeah! Hot payoff! Rock Punch!" Jackpot shouted with joy when his slot landed on three fists; multiple fists shot out of the ground and socked the Dragon Slayer repeatedly. "It looks like this time the Jackpot's hitting you!"

" _If these two fools defeat each other, it'll certainly make my job easier,"_ Byro thought as he glanced at Lucy. _"However, I don't understand. Why are they ordering this now? What s the reasoning?"_

"Just stay back, okay, Michelle?!" Lucy instructed her sister. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect you!"

"HA, HA, HA! Whoops, silly me. I was having so much fun playing with you all that I completely forgot about my mission!" Jackpot giggled before turning to flee. "Gotta run, catch ya later!" The Oracion ran all the way to the church hall nearby, where he was greeted by numerous Rune Knights.

"It's the Neo Oracion Seis!" one of the Knights shouted.

"What do you say we get right to the action?! Here goes…" Jackpot said, activating his magic; his slot landed on three bombs. "Sweet! Three in a row, that's a triple bomb bonus! Ka-boom!" The building suddenly exploded from the inside, causing it to collapse.

"Dammit!" Natsu growled.

"Why's he attacking the Church hall?" Lucy questioned.

"This is reprehensible!" an enraged Byro declared as he rushed to attack the machine. "Curse you!"

"Let's go again!" Jackpot said as he continued playing. His slots landed on three silver keys with prohibited signs on them. "Whoa! We've got another match, Anti-link time!" A giant dagger with a red lacrima blade appeared above the Oracion; he then launched it over to the destroyed church hall. When it hit its target, a bright crimson light shined throughout the area.

"What did you just do?!" Byro demanded.

"Ha, ha! Now don't get your panties in a wad for things that don't concern you!" Jackpot advised. "You just need to focus on carrying out the Cardinal's orders like a good boy!"

"How dare you!" Byro growled.

"QUIT YOUR FLABBING AND FIGHT ME!" Natsu roared, launching another fire fist attack at the enemy.

"Okay! Wow, another lightning bolt bonus!" Jackpot exclaimed. However, his magic did nothing this time, and he was struck right in the face by the Salamander's attack. "What the… how'd you hit me?!"

"You will suffer the consequences for this sinful destruction!" Byro declared as he used his staff to neutralize Jackpot's magic.

" **Fire Dragon Talon!"** Natsu yelled as he kicked the slot machine on Jackpot's chest, smashing it to pieces.

"What have you done?! Now I can't use my slot magic, I don't even know who I am without it! You're gonna give me identity crisis!" Jackpot cried.

"I knew I'd get a hit in eventually," Natsu said triumphantly. "But that was nothing compared to this… **Fire Dragon Wing Attack!** " The Son of Igneel unleashed another blazing blast that smashed the Oracion to pieces, but he wasn't finished. **"Fire Dragon Roar!"** Using his breath attack, Natsu completely demolished Jackpot.

Elsewhere, the Fairies and Tyson's lieutenant were still on the offensive against Cobra, who was easily overpowering them. Evergreen was knocked down, leaving just Erza, Max, and Hugo to face the Poison Dragon Slayer. **"Sand Slash!"** Max shouted, tossing a wave of sand at the Oracion.

"It's pointless, I can hear it," Cobra muttered as he deflected the attack with a sound wave.

"Don't be so sure!" Max exclaimed as he appeared behind the dark mage, yet Cobra retaliated by kicking the sand mage in the gut.

"Don't you listen?" Cobra inquired.

"Heh! Joke's on you, pal!" Max declared as his body turned to sand, restraining Cobra's leg. The real Max came up from underground, smirking. "I got you in my sand trap, guess you didn't hear that one coming, did ya?! Now Erza, Hugo, go get 'em!" The Requip mage and the Rune Knight both charged at the Dragon Slayer, but he remained unfazed as he blew them away with another sound wave.

"How idiotic, I can still hear your attacks coming!" Cobra stated. He then appeared behind Erza with his hand by her head. "Now I'll destroy you!" Just before Cobra could let out another attack, Max jumped in between them and was hit instead.

"Max!" Erza cried as her friend fell to the ground.

Cobra's face grew confused as he read Erza's mind. "Save your tears. Do you honestly care about what happens to him?" he asked Titania.

"Yes, he's my friend," Erza answered while kneeling beside Max.

"Ever since I lost Cubellios, I've been all alone. I don't have any friends," Cobra muttered sadly.

Erza laughed at him. "I can hear it, all the sadness in your voice," she told Cobra. "Instead of attempting to hide it, you should aim to conquer it! It'll make you a stronger person!"

"Don't talk as if you know me. You can't possibly understand the loneliness and heartache that I feel!" Cobra said.

"We've all been there! Everyone in this world has experienced heartache in some form!" Erza preached. "It's unavoidable."

"I know what it's like to be alone, as do many others! We all have our version of it, but in the end, loneliness comes from being alone, having no one beside you!" Hugo stated. "When I first became a Rune Knight, my Chief and comrades were no more than strangers to me, but over time, their company filled the void of loneliness I felt and they became more than just mentors and partners to me! Now, we truly care for one another! Are you telling me that the people that surround you don't care for you the same way this Cubellios did? And do you not care for them as well?!"

Cobra gave no answer and looked as though he was pondering about what his enemies had just told him. He then heard something in the distance: a group of Rune Knight had found the Celestial Wizard being sheltered by the Church and were securing her to safety. "I'm wasting time, I almost forgot about my objective," he muttered. He then pulled out a handle with lacrima blade. "Lieutenant Steelsoul, Titania, we'll have to settle this another day." The Dragon Slayer then fled from the battlefield and headed toward the Rune Knights.

"Where's he going?" Erza inquired as she changed back to her normal armor.

Hugo closed his eyes to trace Cobra's life force. "He's going over to where a large crowd of Rune Knights are stationed," he replied. "His objective must have something to do with the Celestial Wizard they're escorting."

"What do we do? We have to stop him, but we can't leave my friends like this," Erza said.

"I'll go after Cobra! You stay and tend to your comrades' injuries!" Hugo instructed.

"You're going to take him by yourself?" she asked Hugo. "But he's so strong; you can't hope to defeat him alone!"

"Trust me, Titania, what I displayed isn't even my best," Hugo assured her. "I can handle him long enough for your friends to recover and then rejoin the battle. Besides, our mission is to stop him by any means necessary!" Erza thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Don't hurry, but don't take too long either! Get there as soon as you can!" With that, Hugo blasted off into the sky and flew after the Oracion. He landed in front of the Church hall as the Rune Knights were taking the Celestial Wizard to safety.

"Lieutenant Steelsoul, sir!" the soldiers saluted Tyson's disciple.

"All of you evacuate the area and get that mage to safety!" Hugo ordered. "I'll hold off the enemy as long as I can!"

"Yes, sir!" the Knights complied. They quickly hurried away as Hugo waited for Cobra to appear. Pretty soon, the Poison Dragon Slayer made it to the church and was greeted by the Lieutenant of the Indian Knight Trio.

"Impressive, I didn't think you'd catch up to me so fast," Cobra commented.

"I won't let you go any further. Your path ends here!" Hugo declared.

"Oh, and you think you can defeat me alone?" Cobra inquired as he listened to Hugo's thoughts. "I can hear it. You're hoping you can take me down alone, but you plan to stall me until your friends can recover enough to join you. It's pointless you know; you don't stand a chance against my power."

"I beg to differ," Hugo said as he flared his Ki. "A rule that Chief Tyson gave me is that whenever I'm fighting, never go all out when there are people around me. Now that I'm alone, I can use the full extent of my power!" The Rune Knight's energy expanded as he glared at the Dragon Slayer. "Now you will witness the power of one of the Indian Trio!" Hugo let out his power, which created a shockwave that sent debris toward Cobra. The dark mage shielded his face from the wave, blinding himself from Hugo's sneak attack. Just before the Knight could strike, Cobra dodged him and socked him in the face before kicking him aside.

"When will you learn? I can hear your every move!" Cobra shouted. Hugo quickly recovered and charged at the dark mage again; before Cobra could counter his assault, Hugo disappeared and reappeared and kicked the Dragon Slayer in the back. "What?!" Cobra gasped as he looked behind him. Hugo phased again, appearing in front of Cobra and uppercut him in the jaw. Cobra back flipped and landed on his feet. "How are you doing that?!" Cobra demanded.

"Just because you know my next move doesn't mean you can react fast enough," Hugo replied.

" _Damn, it's just like with that new kid from Fairy Tail. Looks like I'll actually have to fight back this time!"_ Cobra thought. He then raised his hand to use a sound wave on Hugo, but the Knight quickly grabbed his arm before he could and elbow bashed his chest.

"I've been trained to move much faster than sound; there's no way I'll let you use that technique again!" Hugo proclaimed as he kicked him away.

Cobra got back up and rushed at the Knight. "Try this! **Poison Dragon Twin Fangs!** " The Dragon Slayer crossed his arms, creating two waves of poison and sending them at the Rune Knight. Hugo held up his arms to defend himself; when the attack passed, he charged at the Dragon Slayer and struck in the jaw with a Ki enhanced punch. "What? But how?! My poison should be entering your body and weakening you!" Cobra said.

"My body is covered with armor from top to bottom," Hugo explained as he tapped his chest. "Your poison won't be getting to me as long as it doesn't actually touch me."

"Then I'll just have to rip that armor off you!" Cobra exclaimed. His claws started emitting his poison and he charged at the Rune Knight before slashing wildly at him. Hugo managed to evade and deflect his strikes, but eventually the Dragon Slayer got a hit in when he uppercut Hugo in the chin, knocking his helmet off and exposing his clean-cut face. "Now have a taste of my poison!" Cobra reached to grab Hugo's face with his Poison Dragon Grip Strike, but Hugo quickly took a deep breath and shot a Ki blast from his mouth. Cobra quickly blocked it with his right arm but this blinded his field of vision, allowing Hugo to palm strike him away to gain some distance. Hugo then flew above Cobra and before he could react, the Knight tackled and pinned him face down to the ground.

"This fight is over, Cobra!" Hugo declared. "Now tell me where you and your comrades hid the Infinity Clock!" To the Knight's surprise, the Dragon Slayer was chuckling. "What exactly is it that you find funny about the situation you're in?!"

"I can hear it, you really think that this is over," Cobra muttered as he slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out the combat drug; he gulped it down and grinned wickedly at the Rune Knight. "But now I'll show what true power is." A second later, the Oracion started emitting a dark red aura that suddenly exploded, blowing Hugo away. The Knight landed on his feet and gazed in shock at the dark mage's transformation. The red scales on his arms started to spread to his right leg, the right half of his face, basically his entire right side. Cobra's right foot changed into a reptile-shaped talon, his teeth grew sharper, and a right wing and a tail sprouted out from his back ( **A/N: Just like the form Natsu took in the Dragon Cry movie** ). Cobra slowly stood up as he glared at Tyson's lieutenant; opening his mouth, the Dragon Slayer of the 2nd generation let out a massive roar that released a tremendous force of wind.

" _What the… a shockwave?! He can generate that much power with just an ordinary roar?!"_ the Knight thought. _"Just what was in that vial that he drank?! And what is that form?!"_ Before Hugo had any more time to think, Cobra dashed toward him, appearing directly in front of his face. The Knight barely had time to block the attack with his arms as he was kicked across the ground. Hugo stopped himself and faced his enemy, only to find that Cobra had left from where he was previously standing. Hugo quickly glanced upward, where he spotted the Oracion descending on him. Hugo jumped away and Cobra smashed into the ground, cracking it. Hugo aimed his hand at the dark mage and fired an energy blast, but the Dragon Slayer flew over the blast and appeared behind the Rune Knight. He tried to strike his head from his blind spot, but Hugo sensed him and instinctively tilted his head to the side, making Cobra miss by a few centimeters. Hugo then shot a Ki blast into Cobra's stomach, pushing him away. Hugo then felt a cut appear on his cheek and blood spill from it. He glanced over to the place where Cobra's impact smashed the ground, thinking, _"It's not just his speed that's increased, his strength is greater, too. If I let my guard down for an instant, it'll be over!"_

"I can hear it," Cobra muttered his famous line. "You're completely surprised by my drastic increase in power. But honestly, I am, too." The Dragon Slayer glanced at himself, inspecting his new form. "This power, it feels incredible! And just like before, it comes with a price. I look and feel more dragon than human, another sacrifice I'm willing to make. I see now that if I cannot have Cubellios, then I'll surrender my soul, everything that makes me human! I'll throw it all away and gain the power to wipe out everything for her! And as long as I continue on this destructive path, nothing will be able to stop me!"

"No! You're wrong! True power comes what you want to protect, not sacrifice!" Hugo refuted. "As a Knight, I will not let you continue on this path!"

"Heh! The power to protect… what nonsense. Real power is drawn from what you have to give up, the misery you feel and the darkness that consumes you. But if you think I'm wrong, then let's put it to the test: my power against yours! Let's see which one is stronger!" Cobra challenged before charging at the Rune Knight. Hugo brought out his blade and swung it; Cobra's fist collided with it and created a sound wave that shattered it and the armor on Hugo's right arm. Hugo barely had time to register what happened when Cobra struck again. The Dragon Slayer hit Hugo with a barrage of multiple fists, shattering most of his armor with his sound magic. "Now I've got you! **Poison Dragon Crushing Fang!** " Cobra slashed Hugo's unarmored chest, knocking him onto his back. He smirked until his opponent stood up and saw that there wasn't a scratch on him and that he was emitting a gold aura that was shaped around his body.

"Ki Armor!" Hugo said. "It's my secondary and greatest defense! It's completely impervious to any physical attack. Try as you might, your poison won't be killing me today!"

"We'll see about that!" Cobra said. The two mages rushed at each other and began trading blows. **"Poison Dragon Spiral Jaw!"** The dark mage swung his legs to kick the Rune Knight.

"Sickle Kick!" Hugo quickly countered with kicks enhanced by his Ki. Cobra channeled his poison into his fists and socked Hugo in the face and chest, but his poison didn't get through the Knight's Ki armor. The Rune retaliated by elbow bashing and palm striking the Dragon Slayer, but it barely fazed him due to the durability granted from his dragon scales. Hugo then jumped into the air and Cobra flew after him. The two zoomed through the air, clashing and creating shockwaves that shook the battlefield.

" _So he can fly with just that one wing. This is truly turning into a battle between a Knight and a Dragon,"_ Hugo thought.

"You can't escape a dragon! **Poison Dragon Fang Thrust!** " Cobra shouted as he thrust his right hand at the knight, and a giant serpent-shaped poison mist shot out of his hand and flew toward Hugo. The Lieutenant quickly evaded the attack as it tried to chomp down on him, but eventually it got close and almost consumed him. Fortunately, he managed to hold up its jaws with his superior strength.

" **Destructo Disc Slash!"** Hugo swung his arms, creating two buzz saws of energy and whirling them at Cobra's attack. The discs cut the Fang Thrust and almost sliced Cobra in two, but the Dragon Slayer managed to evade the attacks, only getting a minor cut on his arm.

" **Poison Dragon Scales**!" Cobra yelled, creating a magic circle and launching multiple scale-shaped poisons at Hugo.

" **Judgment Slash!"** The Knight quickly deflected the barrage of poison scales with his numerous Ki slashes. Hugo then started firing continuous energy blasts at the Dragon Slayer, but Cobra flew through the air, avoiding every single one of them. _"Damn, I'm getting nowhere like this! And I can't keep up this armor for much longer! It's just like the Chief said…"_ Hugo thought.

 _Flashback – 7 years ago, back when Hugo was just a squire and Tyson's second recruit, he was taught to manipulate his Ki into a type of armor; it became his last and strongest line of defense. He spent days sparring with his Chief in order to maintain the Ki armor while engaged in combat. Hugo threw multiple punches and kicks at the Cyborg, who dodged every single one of them, and whenever the Chief struck, Hugo was ordered not to evade any blows as they were trying to test out the limits and durability of the armor._

 _Hugo blocked some of Tyson's attacks but was hit with the majority of them. Of course, the Chief was holding back because at Hugo's current level of power Tyson could easily shatter that armor, but they were just training so he had to take it easy on his student. The two continued to exchange blows until Hugo jumped back and fired an energy blast at his mentor; Tyson deflected it and the two stopped for a moment to catch their breaths (at least Hugo did anyway). "Alright son, now how 'bout we take a little break?" Tyson suggested._

" _I don't need… huff-huff… a break, Chief," Hugo assured._ _ **"**_ _Let's keep… huff-huff… going. I've still got some… huff-huff… energy left."_

 _Tyson chuckled. "I'm sure ya do, boy, but bend your ear to this, it's about that darn armor yer using." Hugo raised an eyebrow before calming down to hear his mentor's words. "Now listen, that armor is a heck of a shell. It's pretty darn tough, ain't it?"_

" _You're right, Chief. It's pretty durable and it feels so light, like it has no weight," Hugo said._

" _Cuz yer at the beginner's level, boy, but you need to make that armor stronger, and the more energy ya put into it, the heavier it gets," Tyson explained. "If the weight on ya increases, so does the durability. If you train so that the weight ain't a problem for ya, then your armor will be unbreakable."_

" _Yes, Chief," Hugo complied._

" _Just one more thing I gotta tell ya, boy," Tyson continued. "That armor may be tough, but it drains yer energy the longer ya fight. It's yer greatest strength and weakness."_

" _I don't understand, Chief, how can that be?" Hugo inquired._

" _When ya use that armor, it's not separate from yer energy, it's connected to yer life force." Tyson explained. "If you continue to fight while maintaining that armor, ya could subconsciously draw more energy from yer life force as the battle goes on, and if you're not careful, you'll burn out!" Hugo's eyes widened from his teacher's warnings. "Not to mention, when you tend to use yer big attacks, your armor's durability weakens, so ya need to learn to conserve ya strength, especially when ya don't know how the fight will carry on. Ya get me, boy?"_

 _Hugo nodded. "I understand, Chief. I'll work on my Ki armor, sir." He bowed to the Android. "Thank you for helping me,"_

 _Tyson put his hand on Hugo's head. "Don't sweat it, boy! Now let's get back to work!"_

" _Yes sir!" Little Hugo replied excitedly. Flashback ends._

Cobra shot another wave of poison at Hugo, snapping him out of his thoughts. The Knight quickly dodged the attack. _"I can't let this go on any further; I'm losing energy the longer I keep up this armor and it doesn't look like the Dragon is gonna wear out anytime soon. I have to end this now!"_ The Rune Knight then descended to ground level and glanced up to the Dragon Slayer.

"I can hear it, you're starting to grow tired of this fight between the Knight and the Dragon, as am I," Cobra stated. "So why don't we end this!" The Oracion took an enormous breath, gathering as much poison in his mouth as he could. **"Poison Dragon… Roar!"** The Dragon Slayer let out a massive poisonous stream and shot it down at Hugo Steelsoul.

Hugo took his own deep breath and yelled, **"Super Breath Cannon!"** using his ultimate attack as a counterstrike. The two attacks flew toward each other and collided in the sky. The poison and the energy blast pushed against each, trying to overtake the other. Cobra then started to pour more poison into his breath attack, gaining the upper hand in their struggle. Seeing that he was going to lose the battle, Hugo closed his eyes and thought, _"I have to drop the armor and put everything I have into my attack!"_ After losing the armor, Hugo summoned all his remaining energy and poured into his attack; it broke through the Poison Dragon Roar and struck its target. Cobra's eyes widened and he gasped as the beam came at him full force, exploding instantly on impact. Hugo fell to one knee as he took heavy breaths. He glanced upward to see a dark smoke cloud floating in the place where Cobra recently was. _"It's over,"_ he thought. Suddenly, something fell from the black smoke and crash landed onto the earth.

"I can hear it; you truly believe that you won, that I just kicked the bucket," Cobra's voice was heard. "Well I got news for you: if that's all you can do with your power to protect… then you don't possess nearly enough power necessary to destroy me!" The smoke cleared and Cobra was seen seething with anger. His coat was completely torn to shreds, his body was bruised, but the most significant injury was his wing. The big flappy part was completely vaporized; all that remained was a bloody stump.

" _But how? I used everything I had, how did he survive?!"_ Hugo thought before he noticed the missing wing. _"Don't tell me… he sacrificed his own wing, using it to shield himself from the blast!"_

"What's the matter, Steelsoul? Got no more tricks left?" Cobra asked mockingly. "If so, then I'll just end this fight now!" The Dragon Slayer charged at the Rune Knight, causing Hugo to quickly put his Ki armor back on and brace himself. Cobra threw a punch enhanced with poison at his enemy; Hugo blocked it with his arms but the force sent him flying backward and landing on his back. Cobra then advanced on the Knight and started punching him rapidly. "I see, the more energy you put into that armor, the stronger it gets and the longer you can use it. But since you put all of your energy into that last attack, you've got no energy left to supply your armor. So it's only a matter of time before I shatter it!" The Dragon Slayer continued his barrage of blows as Hugo tried his best to keep up the Ki armor; eventually Cobra managed to finally destroy Hugo's secondary armor with one last punch. The Knight groaned as his chest was struck by the Dragon Slayer's poison. Cobra then wrapped his tail around Hugo's neck and lifted him up. "I have to say, you're one of the strongest people I've ever fought," Cobra declared as he raised his right claw coated with poison. "I could probably hear your last words if I wanted to, but I want you to say them out loud before I kill you. So let's hear it!"

Hugo groaned as he opened one eye. "Cr-Cri…" he muttered.

"What was that? Even with my hearing, I won't understand what you're saying if you whisper," Cobra said jokingly as he placed his ear by Hugo's mouth, failing to notice the Knight's hand was glowing. "Now speak up!"

" **Cri-Cri…Critical Strike!"** Hugo exclaimed.He swung his Ki enhanced hand upward, cutting Cobra's tail clean off and slashing his chest. Cobra reared back and cried in agony, which gave Hugo the chance to bombard the Dragon Slayer with multiple energy blasts. He finally stopped when his opponent was completely covered in smoke. He patiently waited to see what was left of the Oracion, but he was caught off guard when a red dragon claw reached out of the smoke and grabbed him by the face. Cobra slammed Hugo onto the hard ground and stood over him, looking steaming mad. _"What?! But how..?"_ Hugo as he gazed Cobra's chest, witnessing the cut he gave it close up rapidly. _"His wound… it's healing!"_

"Gotta hand it to ya, our fight has been nothing short of exciting," Cobra commented while baring his fangs. "But then you had to make me mad! So now I'm gonna make you suffer! But how to do that is the question; just injecting my poison into you won't be enough for all that you've done! So how…" Cobra then glanced at the gold ankh symbol on his cracked breastplate where his heart should be and smirked wickedly. "I think I know how." He slashed at the symbol until it was reduced to pieces, exposing Hugo's chest. He then channeled poison into his right claw and held it over Hugo's heart. "Normally, just hitting you with one of my poison attacks would cause your body to slowly decompose, but if I send it straight to your heart, the virus will have a faster effect! In seconds, the poison will cause your heart to rot away and you'll die in an instant!" Cobra reared his hand back as he prepared the finishing blow. "It's over, you're done! Farewell, Lieutenant Steelsoul!"

Cobra shot his poison-covered dragon claw to Hugo's heart, but before he could pierce it, his hearing magic picked up something coming toward him. He looked over to his left just as something struck. The Dragon Slayer was knocked away from the Rune Knight; he landed on his back and looked to see who attacked him. Standing defensively beside Lieutenant Steelsoul was Erza Scarlet in her Purgatory armor. "Sir Hugo, are you alright?!" she asked the knight.

"Well, I'm still alive," Hugo replied as standing up.

"Titania, I shouldn't be surprised that you're here but I didn't think you'd try to face me again so soon," Cobra remarked.

"Cobra, what's become of you?" Erza asked in astonishment.

"Oh, this," Cobra said as he glanced at his draconic form, "is just the result of gaining more power than I ever imagined! Wanna see what I can do like this?"

"I can't believe how far you would go for power. You've become a monster!" Erza stated.

"Human beings are weak, anyway. Now this monster's dying to go on to kill that knight, unless you can stop me, Titania!" Cobra mocked.

"I won't let you kill Sir Hugo!" Erza declared as she changed into her flight armor.

Cobra bared his claws as he prepared to fight the Requip mage again, when his hearing then picked up on the Rune Knights getting further away from the battlefield with the Celestial Wizard. Not wanting to discard his mission anymore, Cobra relaxed himself and said, "Sorry Titania, but it's time for me to take off!" He then snapped his fingers, releasing his sound wave attack; after it caused an explosion that blinded the mages, the Dragon Slayer had completely vanished from the battlefield.

"It appears that he's left," Erza noted. She glanced to her left where she saw Lieutenant Steelsoul fall to one knee and grasp his chest in pain. "What's wrong?!" she asked in alarm while kneeling beside him.

"Erza!" Max called out. The Scarlet mage looked up to see her guildmates rushing toward her. "Are you guys ok? Where's Cobra?"

"The enemy fled again. I am unharmed but Hugo seems to be injured," Erza explained. "We need to get him back to guild hall right away!" The Rune Knight then coughed up blood before collapsing onto his stomach. The Fairies rolled him onto his back and removed his hand from his chest. They gasped when they saw the claw marks over the spot where his heart was. "What did Cobra do to you?!"

"He tried to strike my heart directly with his poison, but you intervened," Hugo replied with a grunt. "It seems he was much closer than I thought. His attack reached the surface and now the poison's making its way to my heart."

"We need to get him help!" Evergreen said. "I can fly him back to the guild hall."

"He'll never make it in his condition, and if we move him the poison could spread," Erza said.

"What if one of you rushes to the guild hall and brings Wendy or Ms. Jillian here to heal him?" Max suggested.

"Too risky. Even if we made it to the guild hall in time, it would be pointless if they haven't returned from their mission," Erza responded.

"I'll check in first," Max said as he pulled out the telepathy card. "Warren, can you hear me?"

" _Max! I'm glad to hear your voice,"_ the Telepath mage answered. _"Are you guys alright? Did you complete your mission?"_

"No, we fought Cobra of the Oracion Seis, but he stomped us and escaped again. Sir Hugo tried to stop him but was heavily injured!" Max explained. "He needs medical help right now, are Wendy and her team back yet?"

" _No! None of the teams have returned yet!"_ Warren replied. _"I tried contacting Wendy and Bickslow but they never answered me."_

Max looked at his teammates before saying, "Alright, we'll figure something out, then head back. See you in a bit." He put the card away and asked, "Anyone got another idea?"

"At this point, the poison will reach his heart and kill him unless we can think of some way to save him," Erza said.

"There's only one… thing left to do… now," Hugo managed to get out. "Titania… I need you to… do something for me."

"What is it?" Erza asked.

"I need you… to kill me."

"WHAT?!" the Fairies screamed in surprise.

"I can see that I'm not going to make it, this poison will finish me," Hugo went on. "As a Knight, I lost my fight, and the enemy has left me to die in a painful, disgraceful way: with regrets. The only way to honor myself is to end my life before this poison does, but I lack the strength to kill myself. So I ask you, another fellow knight, to do it for me, please."

"You can't just give up, Sir Hugo!" Max argued.

"Fairy Tail would never abandon a friend, let alone kill one," Evergreen said. "We'll find a way to save you!"

"That's right! We won't give up on you yet!" Erza proclaimed. "Just hang in there, Hugo!"

"I'm afraid I can't," Hugo said. "I can feel my body getting number. If the poison is given more time, my heart will rot away instantly. If you truly want to help me, then grant this final act as a knight, and let me die as one." The Rune Knight glanced at his helmet in sadness. "I always wondered what I was. I wanted to be a knight like my people, but this dark power I was cursed with convinced me that I could never be one. But then I met Chief Tyson, who taught me how this power could be use for good. I worked so hard to repay him, but it wasn't just that. I wanted… to prove that I was just as good as you, Titania." Hugo's words surprised the Fairy Queen. "I saw your magic and was jealous of it; I thought fate was playing a sick joke on me. So I decided that I would prove that I would be a knight, no matter what! I heard so many of your stories, and despite your… destructive reputation, I admired your accomplishments. I strived to be the best knight I could be… because of you… Erza Scarlet. Please, give me the honor of being saved by another knight instead of falling to the hands of a dragon."

Erza gave the Rune Knight a sad look before nodding; she picked up her sword and held it over Hugo's heart. Her guildmates looked away as Lieutenant Steelsoul closed his eyes. With a mighty battle cry, Erza launched her blade forward and struck. Hugo grunted out in pain as blood slid out from his chest. Max and Evergreen scrunched their faces, thinking that the Knight was dead, until they heard him cough. They looked back to see Erza remove her blade and quickly use her armband to stop the bleeding. "Erza… what did you do?" Max questioned.

Erza glanced over to the blood spilled from Hugo's wound; they could see the sparkling crimson liquid mixed in with it. "It was another gamble, but I managed to draw out the poison," Erza explained. "Now we just need to patch up his wound and carry him back to the guild hall."

"Why?" Hugo asked as the Fairies worked to save his life. "Why did you choose to save me, Titania?"

"You asked for your death to be at the hands of a fellow knight, but I'm not a knight. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!" Erza declared. "And I was once in a situation similar to yours. After being poisoned by Cobra's pet snake, I begged my friends to cut off my arm to save me; they were against it and worked hard to find another way to save me, eventually doing so. This taught me that as long as there are people who won't give up on you, you shouldn't let go of life so easily. If there's another way, they'll find it!"

"I see… thank you… Erza," Hugo said before he fell unconscious.

"Alright, that should do it," Max said as they finished with Hugo's wound. "Now we just need to…" The Sand mage was cut off by the sound of someone screaming. "What was that?!"

"We'd better go see for ourselves," Erza decided as she hoisted the Rune Knight onto her shoulders. "Come on, this way!" The three Fairies ran to the direction where the screaming came from as fast as they could.

Meanwhile in the crystallized cavern, the Fairies and the Warrior nun of Zentopia were giving all they had against Angel's giant baby, but their attacks were barely causing any damage to it. **"Ice-Make: Lance!"** Gray shouted as he launched another attack at the giant angel.

" **Dark Ecriture: Suffering!"** Freed yelled as he sent a wave of magic atShamsiel.

" **Spiteful Saint!"** Solaseed exclaimed as she summoned numerous orbs of light to fall from a magic seal, which rained down on Shamsiel again. The three attacks struck the chubby giant, but he continued to laugh as though they were nothing but feathers landing on his body. "Still nothing! I thought attacking all at the same time would at least put a dent in that thing!" the nun said.

"There has to be some method of taking this giant down," Freed mused.

"You might as well give up," Angel told them. "This is the power of an Angel; it cannot be defeated by the efforts of humans!"

"We'll see about that!" Gray declared as he placed his fist into his palm. **"Ice-Make: Geyser!"** The Ice mage created a giant pillar of frozen water and shot it toward the chubby angel, but Shamsiel flew upward to avoid the ice blast. "Damn!"

"HA, HA, HA! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME WITH THAT!" Shamsiel laughed. "NOW IT'S MY TURN TO ATTACK YOU! HERE I COME!" The giant angel flew down and smashed his fists against the crystal ground; the mages jumped to avoid the attack, and as they did, Shamsiel grinned as he unleashed that flash of light from his head. The mages shielded their eyes, preventing them from seeing the chubby giant fly toward them. Shamsiel swung his hand at the mages, swatting them and sending crashing into the crystal walls. "OH BOY! I'M HAVING SUCH A BLAST! I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE HAVING AS MUCH FUN AS I AM!"

"Believe me, fun is the last thing I'm having right now," Solaseed muttered as she slid to the ground. "Alright. You wanna play rough? Then how about I give you a friend who can handle your idea of fun?! **Passion of Jonah!** " The nun used her flute to create a giant basking whale of magic energy; it swarm through the air and tackled Shamsiel.

"HEY THERE, BIG GUY! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PLAY WITH, TOO?!" Shamsiel asked the whale as they tumbled together. "OH, YOU WANNA WRESTLE, HUH?! WELL I'M GREAT AT THAT; LET'S DO IT THEN, NEW FRIEND!" The two giant creatures of magic tussled throughout the cavern. Pieces of the crystal fortress fell to the ground as the giants crashed and bashed against the walls.

"Uh, you boys might wanna attack the giant baby now before this whole place comes down!" Solaseed told the Fairies.

"My thoughts exactly," Freed agreed. **"Dark Ecriture: Death!"**

"Sure thing, lady!" Gray said. **"Ice-Make: Battle Axe!"**

The two attacks from the Fairy Tail members struck Shamsiel, surprising him and Angel. The angel of sunlight suddenly cracked as red light broke through its body. Shamsiel then dissolved, letting his coins fall before shattering. Angel grasped her chest in pain and started emitting the same red light for a second. Solaseed raised an eyebrow as she watched the white-haired mage fall on all fours. _"What's wrong with her? Does destroying her angels somehow cause her pain?"_ she wondered before shouting to the Fairies, "Hey guys, she's vulnerable now! Here's our chance to take her out!" The members of Fairy Tail nodded as they advanced on the Oracion. Gray summoned an ice sword and swung at Angel; she dodged him but then saw Freed with wings coming at her with his sword. She jumped away from the fairies, not noticing the warrior nun behind her with her own weapon. **"Rebound! Sword of Hope!"** she announced while channeling magic energy into her sword. Solaseed then jumped and stabbed her sword into the place where Angel had landed, and the crystal floor exploded, causing the dark mage to fall to the hard ground. She groaned as she sat up, only to find three blades pointed at her. "It's over, dear," Solaseed declared.

Angel gritted her teeth while clutching her chest. "This can't be. How could I, an Angel, allow myself to be in this position?! Humans are supposed to bow to me, not the reverse!" she chastised herself.

"Look lady, it doesn't matter how you think this should've ended. All that matters is that you've lost this fight!" Gray said.

"You'd be wise to accept defeat and tell us where the Infinity Clock is!" Freed advised.

"As well as what you and your comrades plan to do with it!" Solaseed finished.

"No! I am an Angel; I refuse to accept this…" Angel declared. She then reached between her breasts and pulled the vial with the combat drug. "This is pathetic for a divine being to resort to such an earthly method of getting stronger, but you mortals must be put in your place!" She popped it open and gulped it down. "This is what happens to those who dare disgrace an angel!" Angel then arched her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs as her body emitted a red light. The shocked Fairies and Nun backed away from the Oracion just before her body shot a pillar of energy upward to the cave roof, causing it to shake the whole place. Her body finally calmed down and the Angel collapsed.

"What the hell was that?!" Gray questioned.

"I don't know," Solaseed replied.

"It appears whatever she drank is causing this strange occurrence," Freed stated.

Angel then slowly rose to her feet as her body was now emitting a gold aura; she smirked as she glanced at her body. "This power… it feels… simply wonderful!" she exclaimed as her aura began to flare uncontrollably. "Yes! Yes! This is the power of an Angel; it's greater than any mortal power in existence!" The mages shielded their eyes as Angel's aura grew brighter; the light finally died down and the mages glared at the dark mage, who was slowly walking toward them. "This power feels so delicious, but it's time to see what it can do, so how about a taste of an Angel's might?" She then placed both her hands to her chest. When she removed and opened them, each hand held three gold coins. "For daring to oppose the will of a divine being, the cost is sixty!" Angel tossed the six gold coins into the air, where they were consumed by their bright light. "Come forth from the light and vanquish those who stand against an Angel! Oh, angel of the sunlight, Shamsiel, and angel of thunder, Ramiel, I summon thee!" When the light faded, standing before the mages was the fun-loving Shamsiel and the hammer-wielding Ramiel.

"HEY GUYS! YOUR OLD PAL SHAMSIEL IS BACK AND READY FOR SOME MORE FUN!" Shamsiel said while grinning. "I BROUGHT A FRIEND TOO, MEET RAMIEL! HE'S SUPER STRONG!"

"What the hell? Didn't we just beat that giant baby?!" Gray asked.

"She must've re-summoned it. Whatever she drank has given her a great increase in power, allowing her to call upon more than one angel!" Freed noted.

"There's something different about these creatures," Solaseed stated. "Their own magic power is much greater than the one we destroyed earlier and her power has increased dramatically."

"Go, my angels! Destroy all those who oppose me!" Angel commanded.

"HOW ABOUT WE PLAY A NEW GAME?! WHO WANTS TO PLAY TAG? I'LL BE IT!" Shamsiel said as he ran toward the mages. The angel of sunlight smashed the ground with his fists; they quickly dodged, but the chubby angel was persistent and continued to chase them. Shamsiel managed to get a hit on the warrior nun and sent her flying into the wall. "HA, HA, HA! GOTCHA NOW! LOOKS LIKE I WIN!" Shamsiel cheered as he pounced on the nun, but just as he was about to punch her with his baby fist, something came in front of him and blocked the strike. The chubby giant was suddenly blown backward and fell on his butt. "OW! HEY, THAT'S NOT FAIR! IT WASN'T YOUR TURN YET!" the angel whined.

Standing before the nun was the Legion Knight with his shield out. "Sorry about that, but I can't let you hurt Lady Solaseed in your game," Dan said. "However, I'd be happy to play with you again!"

"Oh great, look who's back," Gray muttered.

"Don't worry, Angey, I'll get to you just as soon as I've finished playing with my new friend here! Then we can have some alone time!" Dan said to Angel.

"Dan, focus!" Solaseed ordered.

"How dare you still speak to an angel that way!" Angel growled at the Knight. "For that, you will be vanquished by the divine light of my judgment!"

"Aw, you're so cute when you're angry," Dan commented before turning his attention to the angel of sunlight. "So my friend, ready to continue playing?"

"NO THANKS, I THINK I'LL LET RAMIEL GET A TURN NOW!" Shamsiel replied. On command, the angel of thunder charged at the spearhead of the Legion Platoon and swung his hammer at him, so Dan quickly put up his shield and deflected the attack. Ramiel was blown back by the reverse force of his own strike, but he quickly recovered from it and swung again. With no time to act, Dan blocked the blow with his shield again. Ramiel continued to smash his gold hammer against Ricochet; Dan stood his ground and blocked every strike, but was unable to launch a counterstrike.

"Hey moron, stop playing around and use that spear to shrink that thing already!" Gray shouted to Dan.

"Kind of hard to do that when he keeps swinging at me!" Dan shouted back.

"He's correct. He can't attack while on the defensive," Freed said.

"Then we'll just have to attack that thing while it's focused on Dan!" Solaseed instructed. The three mages charged at the angel of thunder but were quickly cut off by the angel of sunlight.

"SORRY FELLAS, BUT I WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO PLAY NOW!" Shamsiel said as he threw a punch at the mages.

"This Shamsiel is starting to be a nuisance," Freed commented.

"Starting? He's always been annoying to me!" Gray said.

"Let's take it down and go help Dan!" Solaseed said.

"Got it! **Ice-Make: Arrow!** " Gray exclaimed as he created a bow and arrow of ice and fired one at Shamsiel.

" **Dark Ecriture: Fear!"** Freed yelled as he swung his blade, launching magical blasts at the angel creature. Just like before, the attacks struck the giant but didn't leave a single mark. "Déjà vu."

"HA, HA! NICE TRY, NOW IT'S MY TURN!" Shamsiel laughed. "AN ANGEL'S LIGHT IS LIKE A THOUSAND SUNS! HAVE A TASTE!" The angel of sunlight prepared to unleash his angel's light, but instead of it being a flash of light like before, it turned into a beam of light that shot toward the mages. The beam caused an explosion that blew the Fairies away. When it passed, Freed and Gray were seen lying on the crystal, a little banged up from Shamsiel's attack. "YAY! THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN! WHO WANTS TO GO AGAIN?!" Shamsiel cheered before he noticed something. "WAIT A SECOND, ONE… TWO…? WHERE'D THE PRETTY LADY GO?! DID SHE STOP PLAYING?!"

"I'm right up here, big boy!" Solaseed called, getting everyone to look up. They gazed in amazement as they saw that the nun now had her own angel wings of magic energy and a gold halo behind her back. **"White Arts Magic: Ark of the Heavens! White Wings!"**

"What is this magic? I've never sensed anything like it," Freed said.

"I don't know but it feels so… heavenly," Gray commented.

"That's Lady Solaseed's White Arts Magic!" Dan explained while still struggling with Ramiel. "It's one of the holy magic in existence! These are her White Wings of the Heavens! In this form, her magic power is increased tenfold!"

"Amazing," the Fairies said in awe.

Angel's fist shook with rage as she gazed at the warrior nun of Zentopia. "How dare you! You would dare to use such magic to make yourself appear like an angel in my presence?! How could a lowly mortal like you possibly master such power when I couldn't?!"

"Huh, sounds to me like someone is jealous of another person's magic," Gray said mockingly.

"It would make sense. She claims to be an angel, so it's not surprising to see her unhappy about someone using a type of magic that makes her look like a fraud," Freed agreed.

"Don't listen to them, Angey! You'll always be my dear angel!" Dan said to comfort the female Oracion.

"SILENCE! I could never envy this form of mockery!" Angel cried. "I wish to see it vanquished at once! Shamsiel, destroy that imposter!"

"OH WELL! SORRY PRETTY LADY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE PLAYTIME IS OVER!" the angel of light stated as he jumped to grab Solaseed.

The warrior nun quickly flew away from the chubby giant. "I'm through playing with your dark angels; it's time to get serious!" Solaseed proclaimed as she created a bow of light along with two magic arrows which she aimed not at the giant angels, but at the white-haired mage. "Take this, **Arrows of Salvation!** " She launched the light magic at her target; they shot through air like beams and flew toward the Oracion. Ramiel and Shamsiel quickly dropped what they were doing and jumped front of their summoner, intercepting the path of the two arrows. When the smoke cleared, the two angels stood before the female Oracion, barely fazed by Solaseed's arrows.

"HA! SORRY LADY, BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO END THIS GAME!" Shamsiel said.

"Then here comes a lot more!" Solaseed said as she flew above the angels; she made a series of hand movements, creating a large magic circle over her enemies. **"Spiteful Saint x10!"** she shouted. Just like before, numerous orbs of light fell from the magic seal and rained down on Shamsiel, Ramiel, and Angel, except ten times stronger than the last time. The oppressors were hit with a barrage of magical blasts and consumed in an explosion of divine light. The Fairies watched in astonishment of Solaseed's display power while Dan only showed pride and respect for his comrade.

"Such magic power, it's on a completely different scale than when this fight began!" Freed stated.

"I can't believe someone this strong was a part of the Legion Platoon, she's beyond incredible!" Gray said.

"Don't underestimate Lady Solaseed. Even without her magic, she's ranked as Lord Byro's second!" Dan explained. "But with her magic, she's probably the Legion Platoon's strongest fighter! She retired some time ago, but her skills are still top notch!"

When Solaseed's attack was finished, Shamsiel and Ramiel were seen on their knees with a few cracks on their bodies. Solaseed smirked until she noticed that Angel was nowhere near her fighters. The head nun glanced around the cavern until she sensed a presence behind her; she turned around and ended up getting socked in the face and sent flying through the fortress. Solaseed caught herself in the air before she crashed; she looked back to see Angel with her fist extended. The dark mage was seething with rage that she couldn't stop shaking.

"You… are… not… an angel!" the Oracion managed to get out. "You are nothing but a copycat, an angel wannabe! And I will not stand for this… blasphemy… this disrespect… this abomination!"

"Sorry dear, but I don't want to be an angel any more than you do," Solaseed said. "But that's just one thing neither of us can be even with the magic we use. Your new magic is nothing but heretical Black Arts pretending to be the true White Arts Magic. You must accept that you're not an angel if you truly want to be at peace with yourself."

"What utter nonsense! I am the only true angel in this world of darkness!" Angel declared as she started releasing her energy. "And I'll make sure it stays that way by wiping you off the face of Earthland!" Her body started glowing with gold energy once again; the energy then moved to her back and took the form of two large angel wings with tiny specs surrounding her body.

"What is this power?! I've never felt anything like it before!" Solaseed said as she gazed at Angel's new from in shock.

The Fairies and the Legion Knight had even greater looks of surprise on their faces as they recognized the kind of power Angel was manifesting. "That power…" Dan muttered.

"It looks… remarkably like…" Freed said.

"The same as Gohan's power, it looks like Ki!" Gray stated.

Angel looked at herself through the reflection of the crystal wall before smirking. "I feel so… divine," she said joyfully. "This power has chosen me to be this world's true angel and I accept! I must not let any other try to take this position from me! There will be no other angels but me!" She flew toward Solaseed, going too fast for her see. She struck the nun in the face before blasting her through the crystal walls with a kiai. "Yes! Feel the power an angel's wrath!" Angel declared with delight over her newfound power; she then aimed her hand at Solaseed and fired a Ki blast at her. Before it could nail its target, Dan appeared in front of the blast and used his shield to send it back to the sender. "Fool! Did you truly believe that you could harm an angel with her own power?!"

"I do not wish to hurt my Angey, but I must stop you in order to make up for the mistakes Zentopia made because of your guild!" the Knight proclaimed. "On my honor as a Knight, I will not fail my people again!" Dan was soon joined by Gray Fullbuster and Freed Justine.

"Well said. We also cannot give up, not after everything this woman and her comrades have done!" Freed stated.

"If we back down now, that means she and her buddies will bring about this Holy War and the inevitable chaos, and we said we would make sure that didn't happen!" Gray said. "Now come on guys, let's put this angel on ice!"

Solaseed came out of the wall, a little hurt. She dusted herself before saying, "Alright boys, but let me do this first. Invigorate!" Using her flute, Solaseed sent her magic toward the Fairies, and in seconds their injuries were erased. The members of Fairy Tail glanced at themselves before smirking as they felt their magic power was replenished. "Now let's do this!"

"Right! **Dark Ecriture: Darkness!** " Freed shouted. His body turned giant and bulky as he took on a monstrous form. (A/N: The one he used to fight Mirajane.) The other mages stared at the new demon standing beside them with wide eyes.

"Freed, I didn't know you could do this man!" Gray said.

"I used this form seven years ago. Like this, I'm capable of battling Mirajane in her Satan Soul form!" Freed explained.

"You look like a real monster, Freed," Gray commented.

"It may take more than a monster to win this battle," Freed said.

"Enough chit-chat, boys! Let's get to work!" Solaseed said.

"Right!" the men complied. Freed took action first by flying toward Angel with his fists imbued with dark magic; he threw multiple punches at the Oracion but she easily blocked his assaults while the force behind them cause numerous parts of the crystal fortress to crumble. Angel eventually grabbed both of Freed's fists and kicked him in the gut. He cringed in pain and grasped his abdomen, leaving himself open, which allowed Angel to punch him in the right cheek. She then fired an energy blast at the demon, sending him into the crystal ground.

"Freed!" Gray cried to his guildmate. "You know, you're really starting to piss me off, lady **! Ice-Make: Hammer!** " A giant hammer made of ice appeared above the Oracion, though she quickly smashed it before it could hit her. She then fired a blast at the ice mage; the blast hit his chest, causing him to turn to ice and shatter into pieces. "You're mine!" Gray shouted as he appeared behind Angel. **"Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!"** Ur's student created an enormous ice sword and swung it at the dark mage, but she just smirked as she held out her hand and caught the ice weapon. Gray stared at the white-haired mage in shock as he tried to remove his sword from her grasp, but could not due to her superior strength. " _No way, I thought only Erza had this kind of insane strength!"_ he thought.

Angel then hit Gray with a Ki blast, shattering his weapon and sending the ice mage hurtling toward his guildmate. Dan jumped at the Oracion and fired multiple magic blasts at her, yet Angel avoided the attacks by moving swiftly before countering with a kiai. The knight was sent flying through the wall. She then turned her attention to the head nun of Zentopia. She put her hands together, creating a powerful energy attack and hurling it at her enemy. Solaseed held Rebound in a defensive position, allowing her to absorb the attack and avoid damage. She then raised her sword upward before pointing it at Angel. **"Rebound, Purifying Destructive Blast!"** Solaseed launched an erosion of magical energy at the member of the Oracion Seis, and the blast collided with the white-haired mage and exploded massively. When Solaseed could see her opponent again, she was surprised that Angel wasn't even harmed and that she used one hand to block the attack. "It can't be… just how powerful is she right now?!" Solaseed asked.

Angel glanced at her hand, inspecting it for any damage. "Now do you see? This is what it means to be an angel! Your attacks will never come close to harming me; I am a being of divine power!" Angel then fired an energy blast at the ceiling above the warrior nun, causing many crystal chunks to fall onto Solaseed and bury her. "Ha, ha, ha! Such is the fate of all who wish to challenge an angel!"

"YEAH! NICE WORK MISS ANGEL, THAT WAS REALLY FUN TO WATCH!" Shamsiel said.

"Thank you, Shamsiel. You must be bored from just spectating all of this, so why don't you go have some fun of your own? See if you can find the object of our mission in this place," Angel instructed.

"OH BOY! IT'S LIKE HIDE AND SEEK! I'M GREAT AT THAT! DON'T WORRY MISS ANGEL, I'LL WIN THIS GAME FOR SURE!" the angel of sunlight said cheerfully as he ran off deeper into the cavern.

"Now to finish off these pitiful mages," Angel said. "I think I'll start with that angel wannabe!"

" **Darkness Breath!"** a voice announced. A whirlwind of darkness suddenly engulfed the Oracion; she glanced downward to see that the attack was coming from Freed. She simply waved her hand to dispel the attack but then noticed that the Thunder Legionnaire was gone. **"Darkness Flash Bomb!"** the Demon yelled as he appeared behind the Angel and smashed a magical attack against her back, sending her plummeting toward the crystal earth.

"How expected of a demon to oppose an angel!" the unfazed dark mage said as stood up and dusted herself off. "But it's futile!"

"Oh yeah?! **Ice-Make: Gungnir!** "Gray shouted and he placed his hands on the ground; a giant spear of ice shot out of the ground and flew toward Angel. The instant it touched her, her body was encased in solid ice. "That should hold her for a few seconds! Now let's dig Solaseed out!" The three men hurried to where the nun was entombed under the crystals and started pulling them away. The chunks were suddenly blown away by a tremendous force and Solaseed stepped out.

"Appreciate the assistance, gentlemen; now let me return the favor," she said gratefully. She placed her flute to her mouth and played it, using her magic to heal her allies of their injuries. Just as she finished, the ice around Angel cracked and a bright light burst from it, freeing her from the icy prison. The white-haired mage glared at her enemies as she clenched her fists. "She appears to be rather angry."

"Good, that makes two of us!" Gray replied.

"You will pay for your crimes against the Neo Oracion Seis!" she declared as her Ki flared up. "For daring to challenge an angel… I'LL MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE! AS THIS WORLD'S TRUE ONE ANGEL, I SENTENCE YOU ALL TO DEATH!" Her energy erupted, causing the whole fortress to shake violently.

"Her power seems to be increasing!" Freed stated. "We need to stop her now!"

"Right! Time for a little boost!" Solaseed said as she gathered pieces of light in her palm to create the Zentopia symbol and blew it over to Dam and Gray. **"Breath of Bless!"** The two men suddenly felt their magic powers increase drastically.

"Wow! My magic power's greater than before! Man, this is even better than Wendy's support magic… uh, don't tell her I said that," Gray commented.

"That's Lady Solaseed, a woman of many talents!" Dan stated.

"Excuse me, miss Solaseed, but why did you not use that spell to increase my power?" Freed questioned.

"My White Arts Magic is truly harmful to demons and any beings of darkness," Solaseed explained. "In that demonic form, you would only feel excruciating and unimaginable pain."

"I see. Well, it doesn't matter, I'll do what I can to help take her down!" Freed said as he roared and increased his own magic power to the max. "So what's the plan?!"

"Mr. Freed, you and I will combine our strengths and take Angel head-on!" Solaseed instructed. "With a combination of light and dark magic, we should be able to win." She then glanced at the Ice mage and the Cedar Knight. "That leaves Ramiel for you two! It hasn't made a move since Angel attacked us herself, but we can't risk it catching us off guard! It may not be as powerful as its master but it's not a pushover! Give it everything you've got!"

"Like that wasn't my plan already!" Gray said before he noticed something. "Wait, weren't there two of those angel things? The chubby one's missing!"

"She must've called it back to save power," Freed theorized. "In any case, that works in our favor!"

"Are you boys ready?!" Solaseed asked.

"Yeah!" Gray answered while staking his stance.

"I'm ready!" Freed declared while pouring magic into his fists.

"Yes, ma'am!" Dan said as he readied his weapons.

"Then let's go!" Solaseed ordered. The nun and the demon charged at the empowered angel while the ice mage and the Legion Knight rushed at the angel of thunder; their collision caused an explosion inside the crystal cavern as their battle grew more intense.

Back with Wendy, Bickslow and Jillian looked on in horror as the Sky Maiden was struck with Grim Reaper's killer attack. They expected to hear the young girl's screams of agony as the numerous blades of wind ripped her to shreds; instead, they heard a strange suction noise. The older mages focused on Wendy and their eyes grew wide from what they were seeing. The Sky Dragon Slayer was sucking the wind from Erigor's into her mouth while the staff in her hand was glowing brighter.

"What is she doing?! How can she ingest my storm magic?!" Erigor questioned as he watched.

As soon as Wendy finished devouring her meal, her body suddenly released a massive force of wind while Jillian's staff unleashed a brilliant flash of light that blinded the three older mages. When it was over, the older mages saw a gray-haired girl with eyes to match, gray wings on her back, and electricity sparking around her body. She glared at the storm mage before charging at him with great speed, tackling him and forcing them both out of his wind barrier while leaving a hole in it. Erigor broke away from the second storm mage and swung his scythe, sending a gale force attack at the girl; she spun the staff rapidly, deflecting the attack with ease. "Impossible! What are you?!" Erigor asked as he stared down at his new opponent.

"I'm Wendy Marvel, and I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!" the girl declared.

Jillian looked at the Dragon Slayer in awe while Bickslow seemed confused. "Uh, what the heck just happened? What's up with Wendy?" he asked.

"She subconsciously fed on the Erigor's attack. Since his storm magic composes of wind, it's a perfect source of food for her," Jillian explained. "Absorbing storm magic and the Ethernano from my staff gave her the ability to use storm magic."

"What are you saying exactly?" the Seith mage inquired.

"She's not a Sky Dragon Slayer right now…" Jillian replied. "She's a Storm Dragon Slayer!"

 **A/N: Done! Wow, this took days to finish, but man, wasn't expecting to end it here. But I felt it was getting too long and needed to save the rest for the next chapter. How do like that, Wendy's a Strom Dragon Slayer! Bet no one's ever thought of that before, huh?! What happens next? Well it's pretty obvious… Wendy's gonna kick Erigor's ass big time, baby! Next chapter we'll see the battle between two storm mages and how Gohan's 2** **nd** **round with Rancor is going. Thank you to those who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story, as well as PMs, too. Like to hear your thoughts, and don't worry, the story's only going to get better as we reach the climax! BTW, the battle scene between the good guys and Angel was brought to you by my good friend Warmachine375, as well as Solaseed's list of moves. Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:We're back and it's time for another chapter of Dragon Tail Z! Thanks for the reviews and hope you like this chapter, put a lot of work into it and there's a little surprise near the end. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading this fanfic!**

 **Last time on Dragon Tail Z, Cobra had taken his combat drug and battled against Lieutenant Steelsoul; he emerged victorious, but the Lieutenant lived thanks to the assistance of Fairy Tail. Angel had also taken her combat drug and had reached a new level of power, allowing her to overpower Freed, Gray, Dan, and Solaseed. Meanwhile, Grim Reaper had launched a devastating attack, intending to finish off his foes, but Wendy managed to absorb the attack and enter a new form, Storm Dragon Mode… now the fight with the storm mage continues…**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail! Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima, respectively, do!**

 **Chapter 20**

Wendy glared at the storm mage, who seemed too terrified to move; she then appeared in front of him and punched him in the face. He winced, allowing her to kick him in the chest. Erigor started to fly through the air, but he didn't get far as Wendy flew after him. "I can't believe she can fly as well as me!" Erigor said. The Storm Dragon sped up and stopped right above her opponent. **"Storm Dragon Typhoon Talon!"** she shouted as a mini twister appeared over her right foot before she struck the storm mage in the back. Erigor was sent hurtling toward the earth by an incredible force of wind.

" _How can she unleash so much force from that kick?"_ he thought as he stood up.

Wendy dove toward the ground and dashed at the Grim Reaper. He swung his scythe at her but she dodged it as the blade cut off a few strands of her hair. Erigor swung again and Wendy blocked it with the staff. **"Storm Dragon Cyclone Fist!"** she exclaimed; her fist was surrounded by a small but extremely powerful windstorm as she struck the Oracion in the chest. Erigor was blown away by the tremendous force of Wendy's attack and slid across the rocky surface. "How can this child be so powerful just from devouring my storm magic?! She's taken its power beyond even the laws of nature!" Erigor grunted as he rose to his feet. Wendy took a deep breath and exclaimed, **"Storm Dragon Roar!"** She let out a massive tornado enhanced with lightning; the attack flew right at Erigor and exploded when it struck him. Bickslow and Jillian watched Wendy demolish Erigor with looks of amazement.

"I didn't think that little girl was capable of such brute force. How is she so powerful?" Jillian asked.

"I'm not surprised. That little lady is tough and a Dragon Slayer! If she wanted to, she could give Natsu, Gajeel, maybe even Laxus a run for their money!" Bickslow said.

"Go Wendy!" the dolls cheered.

When the smoke dissipated, Erigor was seen standing on his feet engulfed in a human-shaped whirlwind. **"Storm Mail!"** Erigor exclaimed. "I barely had time to summon this, but now none of your attacks will inflict any damage to me!" He flew toward the Storm Dragon with the aim of striking her; when he made contact, he felt like he hit something hard before he was blown away. "What?!" he asked as he looked at the Sky Maiden. Instead, he saw someone else surrounded by the defense of the Storm Mail except mixed with electricity. "It… it can't be! How is she able to use my Storm Mail?!" Erigor muttered in awe before glaring at the girl. The two then charged at each other and clashed; their collision unleashed numerous severing winds that slashed apart the battlefield. They flew through the air, striking each other constantly. "Heh! Looks like this is a stalemate, fly!" Erigor stated. "Our Storm Mails prevent us from taking any damage! At this rate, none of us will win this fight!"

"We'll see about that!" Wendy replied. The two storm wizards flew toward each other and crashed; they pushed against each other until the struggle between the two windstorms cancelled out their defensive barriers.

"Gotcha now, brat!" Erigor declared as he swung his scythe at the Sky Maiden. Wendy quickly ducked under his slash and tackled him by the waist, and then the two were suddenly descending toward the earth at a fast rate. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US BOTH?! LET ME GO, YOU RUNT!" As he requested, the Storm Dragon released her opponent before she crossed her arms. **"Storm Dragon Wing Attack!"** Wendy swung her arms, unleashing a double gale force attack that blasted the storm mage to the ground, where his impact created a large crater. Erigor laid flat on his back as Wendy descended to ground level; he then jumped to his feet and backed away from the girl.

"I… I… I WON'T LOSE TO A CHILD! I REFUSE TO ALLOW A FAIRY TAIL FLY TO DEFEAT ME A THIRD TIME! I COMMAND NATURE ITSELF, NOTHING CAN OPPOSE ME!" Erigor shouted as he raised his scythe.

"I think it's time to finish this fight," Wendy said as she put her hands together; her right hand was on top with two fingers while her left hand was on the bottom with five. She yelled at the top of her lungs as she summoned every last bit of magical power she had; a wide magic circle appeared under her feet. **"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!"** she exclaimed. Numerous winds surrounded her foe in a giant cyclone. "What's going on?! What are you trying to do to me?! Erigor demanded. He swung his blade to try and sever the winds, but they reformed instantly.

"You may be able to conjure up storms beyond the powers of nature, but all of its power comes from the sky itself!" Wendy yelled. "As the Maiden of the sky, anything that swims in the air is in my domain! That means I command it all! **Shattering Light: Tempest Erosion!** " A massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the cyclone with Erigor inside it; the dark mage screamed in agony as he was consumed in a powerful explosion of storm magic. When it ended, the Oracion was lying on the ground flat on his face. Wendy sighed a bit before turning away from him and walking toward his wind barrier. She made a small magic circle and swiped it, dispelling Erigor's barrier and freeing her comrades.

"Wendy… that was incredible," Jillian muttered.

"Ha! That was awesome, girl! Now that's the way we do things in Fairy Tail!" Bickslow cheered.

"Yeah, Wendy!" the dolls cheered too.

The Sky Maiden knelt beside the Rune Knight and summoned her magic into her hands. "Just hold still, Ms. Jillian. I'll heal you up in no time," she assured the combat healer. As she did, she seemed unaware of the Grim Reaper's body starting to twitch.

* * *

Back with Gohan, the Demi Saiyan was still locked in combat against the Tufflebot; the two clashed multiple times as they exchanged blows. The two finally separated and descended to ground level as they glared at each other. _"There's something different about this Saiyan child,"_ Rancor thought. _"He's not attacking out of rage like the last time. He's more focused and now his attacks are stronger; he must've gotten a boost in power after nearly dying from our battle and recovering. I may have to use my trump card sooner than I thought."_

"What's the matter, Rancor? You don't seem so eager to continue!" Gohan taunted the machine. "Don't tell me you wanna back out now, we've barely warmed up!"

"Ha! You wish, Saiyan! Enjoy this battle while you can, 'cause when it's over, I'm going to enjoy crushing your thick skull!" Rancor replied.

"Then what are you waiting for?! Let's see you try!" Gohan challenged the robot.

"Alright, you asked for it, Saiyan!" Rancor cried as he ran toward the Son of Goku. He jumped to grab him, but Gohan disappeared and reappeared behind the Tufflebot before kicking him in the back of the head. Rancor fell face-first into the dirt as Gohan landed on his feet. "You'll pay for that, you monkey!" Rancor growled as he stood back up. He then powered up, channeling a green fiery aura before charging at the Super Saiyan again. He threw a fist at him but it was dodged, then he tried to kick the Saiyan but his attack was evaded again. Rancor didn't let up on his assault, but Gohan easily avoided his barrage of punches and kicks. Rancor then threw a Ki charged punch at the Demi Saiyan but he dodged it by disappearing from Rancor's sight. The machine scoured the battlefield until his sensors finally picked the Saiyan's energy from his left.

"Tell me where the Infinity Clock is! And what the Neo Oracion Seis is planning!" Gohan demanded. "And while you're at it, tell me what exactly your goal is here!"

"You don't expect me to answer that, Saiyan!" Rancor replied.

"Then I'll just have to beat it out of you! Not the first time I've had to fight for Intel!" Gohan remarked.

"Then go ahead and try! Let's see how many hits it takes to get me to talk!" Rancor challenged.

"Get ready, 'cause here I come!" Gohan said. He ran toward the Tufflebot, who tried to grab him, only for Gohan to disappear from his sight again and appear on Rancor's head. The Hatchiyak reached up to grab him, but he phased in front of him and punched him in the chest, sending him flying backward. Rancor stopped himself and charged at the Saiyan again. He raised his hands and put them together before bringing them down on the Z Fighter; Gohan easily caught his attack before kicking Rancor in the chin and then pummeling him with a barrage of punches.

Rancor then jumped way from the half Saiyan and growled, "That's it, monkey! I'm through playing games with you!" He then jumped into the sky and raised one finger.

Gohan glanced at the fighting machine, looking nonchalant. _"He's bluffing. He's been taking this fight seriously since it started. I can tell that he's fighting with everything he currently has and that's the only reason he's still alive… but not for long,"_ he thought.

A small speck of Ki appeared above Rancor's finger; seconds later, it expanded into a massive orb of destruction. "I know that technique; it belongs to the Frost Demons!" Gohan stated.

"That's right, Saiyan! Although the magic seal restraining me prevents me from creating one capable of planetary destruction, this attack should still have enough force to put a dent in you!" Rancor proclaimed before he tossed the large energy ball at the Son of Goku. Gohan held out his hands as he waited for the attack to reach him; he caught the orb of destruction and was pushed back a bit before stopping and lifting the attack with one hand. "This… can't be…" Rancor muttered before firing an energy blast at the large Ki ball, detonating it instantly. Gohan was consumed in the explosion, which formed an enormous crater in the earth. Rancor looked around for the Saiyan hybrid when his sensors sensed someone above him; he looked up to see the Super Saiyan over him with his hands together and over his head.

" **Masenko, ha!"** Gohan exclaimed as he fired the demon flash attack at the Tufflebot, and Rancor was sent plummeting toward the ground. Gohan quickly dove to the ground and kicked Rancor before he could land, sending him crashing into the dirt. Gohan stared at Rancor as he got back up. "It's time to end this!" Gohan declared at he connected his fingers and poured energy into his palms. **"Light Grenade!"** The Demi Saiyan fired a large energy blast at the Tufflebot; when it struck him, it expanded into a massive explosion that stretched into the heavens. In the aftermath, Gohan looked around to see what was left of his foe; when he didn't see any sign of him, he sighed and muttered, "I guess it's over."

"Guess again, Saiyan!" Rancor yelled just before he appeared behind Gohan with his back facing the Demi Saiyan's. The two fighters glanced at each other and remained frozen. Gohan then tried to punch the machine, but he dodged it and jumped back a bit. Rancor's body started emitting electricity, which he channeled into his right hand; he then held up two fingers, causing the area around them to suddenly erupt. After a few minutes, Gohan flew out of the smoke, completely unharmed by the explosion. Rancor crossed his arms over his chest and phased in front of the half Saiyan. "Now it's over for you, Saiyan monkey!" Rancor declared. **"Revenge Cannon!"** He fired his gigantic emerald energy beam at the Son of Goku. Gohan crossed his arms and blocked the attack as it hit him dead-on.

The Z Fighter looked around, only to see that he was surrounded by a cloud of smoke from the Tufflebot's last attack. _"What's he trying to do here?! He just keeps attacking me randomly, is he trying to wear me out?"_ Gohan wondered. _"Since he's a machine he can't run out of energy, so that might work for him, but it won't matter if his attacks don't inflict any damage on me!"_ Gohan then noticed the smoke around him getting darker and harder to breathe in. _"What's happening?! What's he trying to do with this smoke?! Wait a minute… I know this gas!"_ The Super Saiyan 2 jumped out of the smoke cloud to see Rancor with his mouth open and releasing black smog into the sky where Gohan was. "That's the Destron Gas!" Gohan exclaimed. Rancor smirked before he disappeared and reappeared behind the Saiyan, locking him in a bear hug and diving into the gas with him. The two stayed inside the cloud of gas for some time before Gohan roared and unleashed a burst of energy that separated him from the Tufflebot and blew the gas away. _"Damn it! I inhaled some of the gas!"_ Gohan thought as he started to cough.

"I'm glad you remember that gas, 'cause that means you know what's in store for you, Saiyan!" Rancor said before he phased in the half Saiyan's face and punched him. Gohan flinched, allowing Rancor to kick him in the gut and then elbow bash him to the earth. Gohan rubbed his head as Rancor appeared before him. Gohan then threw a punch to Rancor's face before hitting him with a variety of blows that knocked him back a bit; Gohan then charged his right fist with Ki and threw it at Rancor's chest, but when he struck him, Rancor stood completely still, taking no damage from Gohan's attack. "Have you forgotten what the gas does when a living being is exposed to it? You Saiyans are truly mindless monkeys!" Rancor declared as he backhanded Gohan away.

The Son of Goku grasped his face in pain before he noticed his hand shaking. "The gas is disrupting the flow of my Ki," he muttered as he clenched his fist, trying to pour energy into it. "I can't fight him at full strength if my energy's cut off!"

"Just because I appear to be different from when we fought doesn't change the fact that I'm the same machine that released the deadly gas into your world," Rancor said as he approached the Saiyan; he then kicked Gohan in the chin, sending him sliding along the earth. The war machine walked toward the Demi Saiyan, who remained unmoving. "This is what I was planning from the start of our fight! Once again, the Tuffle's intelligence has bested the might of a Saiyan warrior!" He then knelt in front of the seemingly unconscious Z Fighter, staring at him in wonder. "I didn't think I'd hit you that hard; your energy must be draining faster than I calculated. Hmm, are you even still alive there?" As soon as he asked that, Gohan's eyes shot open and he uppercut Rancor in the jaw; the machine staggered, allowing Gohan to channel Ki into his hand and blast Rancor with an energy attack. The Tufflebot was blasted a few feet away from the Demi Saiyan before landing on his feet and rubbing the blood from his mouth.

"Surprised by that attack? I just need a few minutes to gather as much energy as I could," Gohan explained. "Now I've got more than enough to continue fighting!" Gohan then charged at the machine and swung his fist at him, but Rancor easily blocked it with his forearm, shocking Gohan before he jumped back.

"I see. However, the energy you have now is not your maximum power! It's merely a fraction of your true strength, just as the power I now possess is a fraction of my full strength. For the first time in this war, a Saiyan and a Tuffle are capable of fighting on equal grounds," Rancor noted as he took his stance. "How will this battle play out? Will the energy you can manage be enough to defeat me? Or will the gas sap away your life force so that I can kill you?!"

"Why don't we find out?! I'm through talking with you, Tuffle!" Gohan declared.

"It's your move, Saiyan!" Rancor countered. The two fighters charged at each other and clashed knee kicks before blasting each other with an energy attack.

* * *

Elsewhere, Erza, Evergreen, Max, and Steelsoul made their way to the edge of a cliff, with the latter being carried by the scarlet-haired mage. "I think the screaming came from over here!" Max said as they looked over the ledge, and the Fairies gasped in shock at the sight before them. All the Rune Knights lay on the floor, unconscious, while the celestial mage was encased in gold due to the effects of her curse.

"This is horrible! So that's why Cobra ran off, monster!" Erza sneered.

"Damn it! Another celestial mage has fallen victim to the curse," Hugo muttered. "We've failed, and now it's only a matter of time before all the links are severed."

* * *

In the crystal cavern, the Fairies and the Legionnaires weren't doing any better against their foe. Gray and Freed were flat on the ground in defeat along with Dan, while Solaseed was kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily. _"How can she be so powerful?! It's not just her Angel Magic; that other source of power, Ki, it's somehow amplifying her magic and increasing it tenfold,"_ she thought. The nun then brought out her sword and charged it for one last attack. **"Rebound! Sword of Hope!"** she shouted as swung her blade, sending a curve magical attack at the Oracion, yet Angel simply swiped her hand, creating a force that blew the attack back to the sender. Solaseed was blasted onto her back; she looked up to see the dark mage staring down at her.

"Inferior beings like you have no right to hope," she mused. "Hope comes from the divine beings' will, and my will is to watch this world end when the darkness finally consumes it."

"You can't… do that! You're not… a god!" Solaseed said.

"You're right… I'm an angel!" Angel retorted. "And that's close enough!" Just then, Shamsiel came skipping to Angel's side with a mage in his clutches. "Very good work, Shamsiel."

"I FOUND HIM! I CAUGHT THE CELESTIAL WIZARD FOR YOU!" the chubby giant said gleefully.

"Then it's time for the amplitude limiter anti-link," Angel said as she brought out the red crystal dagger. "This may hurt a bit."

"No, please don't!" the celestial mage begged.

Angel ignored him as she gazed at the glowing red magic weapon in her hand. "So beautiful," she muttered before glancing at the celestial mage with a grin.

"Even if you sever my body link the others will stop you! AHHH!" the mage declared just before he was impaled and cried out in agony. Gray lifted his head and watched helplessly as the celestial mage's link was broken and he fell victim to the curse.

Shamsiel tossed the body aside and danced in joy. "YAY! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN! WHAT'S NEXT?!" he cheered.

"If what we were told is true, then there's only one celestial wizard left: the one protected by that boy," Angel said. "We've waited enough, now our prayers will finally be answered." The female Oracion started laughing as the ice wizard glared at her before passing out from his injuries.

"Y-You won't get away… with t-this," Solaseed promised.

"My, my, still opposing the will of an angel? Then I guess it's time to face your final punishment!" Angel declared. She then raised her arms, creating a sphere of Ki and magic above her palms. "This is the fate of all who defy a divine being's will! Now enjoy your deaths and be sent to hell!" Angel launched the fusion sphere into the cavern ceiling, where it exploded and caused the whole place to cave in on the good mages. Solaseed watched with spite as Angel simply smirked and turned away from her enemies, leaving them for dead. When the whole place was reduced to a pile of crystal rubble, Angel laughed maniacally. "Glorious! With these new powers granted by the Combat Drug, the Neo Oracion Seis will be unstoppable!" She then waved her hand, dispelling the angels she summoned. "Now I must prepare for the judgment that we will unleash upon this world." She summoned her wings and flew off to return to her guildmates.

After a few minutes, the crystal shards started to move; the rubble burst open, revealing Lady Solaseed and Freed Justine concealed in a large Ark sphere that the nun managed to conjure and was reinforced by Freed's rune magic. Solaseed lowered the barrier and started breathing heavily from exhaustion. "I was barely able to put the barrier in time, she almost got us there," she stated.

"You have my gratitude for saving me," Freed said. "Our comrades might still be buried here! We must dig them out if so!"

As soon as he said that, a few pieces of the crystal started to glow and shrink to the size of pebbles. Dan's shield and spear emerged from the rubble before the knight removed them to show that he had the ice mage slung over his shoulder. "Hey! Are you guys alright?!" he inquired as he went to meet them.

"We're fine, Dan," Solaseed replied. "Nice job saving Gray."

"Thank you both for saving us," Freed said gratefully.

"No sweat, as a knight it is my sworn duty to protect the innocent!" Dan declared. "And I will never rest, not until justice is served and my lovely angel in within the warmth of my…"

"Just put me down already," Gray muttered in annoyance. "Man, that Angel really did a number on us."

"Let me help. **Invigorate!** " Solaseed chanted before she used her magic to heal the men's injuries.

"I've never seen any kind of magic like that! It made her so heavenly, but it was fueled by her negativity so I could feel the darkness in her heart," Dan commented.

"What heart?" Gray asked.

"Hey! Don't insult my Angey!" Dan argued. "Her heart has been closed off by the darkness, but when we meet again, I'll confess my feelings to her and show what it means to love; her heart will grow three times its size and she'll fall for me!"

"Or she'll rip yours right out of your chest," Gray retorted.

"Anyway, that wasn't magic she used to defeat us," Freed noted, getting their attention. "That power, it gave me the same feeling I felt when I witnessed Gohan's battle with Laxus. It was beyond comprehension; it had to be Ki."

"But Gohan never did anything like that with his Ki," Gray argued. "She literally took on a new form as her power increased, but it was more than just Ki that was causing it!"

"That wasn't magic or Ki, it was both!" Solaseed declared, which made her male comrades look at her in confusion. "I could her magic increase once she took that strange liquid, but I could also sense a different force growing from within her. This Ki was acting like an amplifier; it merged with her magic power and together, the two powers took on a new form in response to Angel's emotions."

"Intriguing. She also said this power came from ingesting that serum, a combat drug I believe she called it," Freed recalled.

"Yeah, and she said it would make her and her pals unbeatable! This means they might all have one of those drugs to boost their power," Gray speculated.

"Ki already seems to be a very dangerous and destructive power, but with magic as its partner, the possibilities are limitless. And if all of the Oracion Seis gain this power, they could be unmatched," Solaseed mused.

"No way! I don't care if they take some special drink to get stronger!" Gray yelled. "They're all still human and they have weaknesses! Fairy Tail has beaten them before and we'll do it again, no matter what!"

"Well said, Gray." Freed nodded.

"There! That should do it!" the nun said as she finished healing each of the male mages; she then fell on her hands and knees while huffing. "I'm spent. I must've overused my ark magic."

"Are you alright?" Freed questioned.

"Just fine. But I'll need to rest a bit before I enter into battle again," Solaseed said as she got to her feet. "Dan, let's return to Zentopia. We must report this failure to the Cardinal and Archbishop, so they may decide our next move." The nun and the knight of the Legion Platoon started to walk away before they glanced back at the Fairies. "The final battle that will determine the fate of Earthland will be upon us soon, as will the end of everything. So be prepared, both sides must be ready to stop the Neo Oracion Seis at a moment's notice." The Legionnaires continued on their way as the Fairies also left to return home.

* * *

In Magnolia, the Fairy Tail members in the guild hall, along with Weinheidt of the Indian Knight Trio, were still waiting for a response from Natsu's group when Vijeeter came running inside. "Bad news! We just got word that one of the Oracion Seis is attacking Kardia Cathedral!" he alerted his guildmates.

"What?! Seriously?!" Cana asked.

"Aw, crap! And there's nobody there to protect it!" Warren said.

"But there will be! I'll go there and stop whatever the Oracion Seis is up to!" Weinheidt said before turning to leave.

"Hold on! You can't go there alone, it's too risky! I'm going with you!" Alzack insisted before asking his wife. "Are you coming?"

"Of course. Please look after Asuka for us," Bisca requested to her friends.

"As a hunter, I normally prefer to work solo or with my teammates and Chief, but under these circumstances, I'll make an exception," Weinheidt decided. "Now let's go!" The three then hurried out of the guild hall to get to the church hall.

At Kardia Cathedral, Midnight had teleported inside the church hall and found himself inside a sort of underground tomb similar to the one where the Infinity Clock was put together. As he wandered through the tunnel, there were multiple candles and Zentopian symbols all around. He eventually found what he was looking for: a coffin with the Zentopia emblem that contained the corpse of Will Neville. "At last we meet, Will Neville. You picked a rather dreary place for your eternal rest, can't say I envy you," the Oracion spoke to the deceased mage. "Guess what, I've taken care of your pupils for you. And I didn't get a simple thank you." He chuckled at his joke. "Don't worry, I'll take care of your legacy as well, every bit of it. After all, nightmares happen to be my specialty." Brain II then raised his hand and let out some magic energy but it was repelled from the Zentopian casket. "I'd expect no less from the renowned Celestial Wizard Will Neville. Even in death, you're protected by intense magical power, but it's not going to be able to protect you forever."

"Hold it right there!" someone shouted to the dark mage; he looked back to see Alzack glaring at him from on top of a small ledge. "I don't know what you're trying to do here but we're not gonna let you get away with it!" As he challenged Midnight, his wife silently ran uphill and summoned her weapon.

"Well, well, what do we have here? This should be amusing," Midnight remarked.

"You must be Brain II of the Neo Oracion Seis! Let's go!" Alzack yelled as he summoned multiple guns to his side; they all fired at the dark mage, who blocked every shot with his Reflector Magic. "Alright then, how about this?! **Omni-directional Expansion!** " The Fairy positioned all of his guns to aim at Midnight from point-blank range.

"What a joke," Midnight muttered. In a split second, the two mages switched places and Alzack was in the center of his own guns. The weapons fired rapidly, pelting their caster with numerous magic bullets.

" _Okay babe, just a little longer,"_ Bisca thought as she took her aim.

"I applaud you for trying, but no one can stop me!" Midnight stated as he appeared before Alzack; the mage smirked at him while thinking, _"Now!"_

"One shot, one down!" Bisca shouted as she fired at the dark mage. Midnight didn't even flinch as he effortlessly redirected the magic bullet back to Bisca's location; the stone horse she stood on cracked and tumbled as she was blown away by Midnight's power.

"Bisca," Alzack groaned.

"She has skill, but lacks the resolve needed to shoot another person," Midnight said while playing with his hair. "You see in order to achieve greatness, one must be willing to pay an even greater price; I can tell just by looking at the two of you, that you're simply not willing to make that kind of sacrifice!"

"But I am! **Ki-Seeking Arrow Missile!** " Weinheidt exclaimed as he fired his signature attack at the dark mage; Midnight tried to deflect the attack, but the energy arrow passed right through his barrier and struck him in the shoulder. The Leader of the Neo Oracion Seis cried out in pain as he glared at the archer.

"How? My magic should've deflected that attack right back at you!" Midnight stated before falling on one knee.

"Maybe against attacks that cause physical pain, but my attacks are focused on Ki," Weinheidt explained. "My Ki seeking arrow targets your life force directly and phases through everything until it hits its mark, and when it does, your energy is greatly diminished. A few more shots like that, your strength will fade away and you'll pass out from exhaustion in a matter of minutes!" The Indian Knight then phased over to where Bisca was and picked her up before appearing by her husband's side. "You two should head back to the guild hall and receive treatment for your injuries. Once Brain II's out cold, I'll bring him over for interrogation!"

Midnight sneered as he clutched his shoulder and stood up; he held out his hand to launch an attack at the 3rd Custody Enforcement Specialist when something burst through the tomb ceiling and landed in between the two sides, creating a force that blew them back a bit. Standing in a crater in the center of the tomb was the large metallic warrior of Zentopia, brandishing a massive greatsword and a heavy bolter cannon. The Fairies looked at the Machias with curiosity while Midnight glared at him.

"A friend of yours?" Alzack asked Weinheidt.

"Never seen him before, but he's got the Zentopian emblem on his shoulder, so he's probably with the Legion Platoon," the hunter reasoned.

"What do those jerks want now?!" Bisca questioned.

" _It's him, the Machias Lapointe mentioned,"_ Midnight thought.

" _I can't sense his life force, is he a machine like Chief Tyson?"_ Weinheidt wondered. _"Still, just from that impact, I can tell he's pretty strong, and if he's with the Legion Platoon, he could be either friend or foe."_ The Indian Knight then asked the Machias "Hey buddy, who the hell are you?!"

The Zentopian soldier faced the good guys before answering, "Where there is uncertainty, I shall bring light! Where there is doubt, I shall sow faith! Where there is shame, I shall point out atonement! Where there is rage, I shall show its course! My word in the soul shall be as my bolter in the field!" He then turned toward the Oracion leader and started to approach him slowly; with every step he took, he made a thunderous and earth shaking impact. He readied his Bolter Cannon as he finished chanting, "I am the one unbreakable shield against the coming darkness! I am the one last blade, forged in defiance of fate! And I am the one impenetrable fortress of war made to withstand and destroy all those oppose the will of Zentopia! My name is Centurion of the Legion Platoon! Reactivated by the Archbishop to do battle in His Holy Name once more! Suffer not the Dark Wizards and heretics of Zeref to live!"

" **Piercing Blast!"** Centurion fired a super powerful magic beam at Brain II; the blast created an explosion that shook the whole tomb and even quaked the church above it. When the shockwave ended, Centurion stood in the center of a massively large trench. He looked up to see Weinheidt floating high above him with Alzack and Bisca in his arms.

"Man, what an attack!" the Indian Knight commented. "If I hadn't reacted when I did, we wouldn't have made it!"

"Who is this guy?!" Alzack questioned.

"He nearly destroyed this entire place with one shot," Bisca said. "How is that possible?"

Weinheidt descended to a nearby ledge and placed the happy couple down. He looked around to see if there was any sign of the Oracion. _"I can still sense Midnight's life force, so he's still alive,"_ he thought. _"He couldn't have gotten far though, not in his condition."_

The dark mage suddenly appeared a few feet before the Machias, taking heavy breaths while grasping his wounded shoulder. "Damn! I almost perished in that blast. I'll need to be more careful against this foe. He's clearly different from his comrades and the Fairies," Midnight mumbled.

"I'm impressed that you managed to dodge that attack. However, it was just a light one," Centurion stated. "I haven't even warmed up yet."

"Y-you're kidding! That attack wasn't supposed to be strong?!" Weinheidt said in disbelief.

"You and your comrades have made a mockery of Zentopia's doctrines!" Centurion stated as he pointed his sword at Brain II. "For your transgressions against my superiors and for putting together the Infinity Clock, I will personally see to it that you suffer for your crimes and that your plan is put to an end!"

"Heh! So that pathetic organization that I used for my goals sent a rust bucket to take me out, huh?" Midnight chuckled. "Well, I didn't come this far just to be defeated by a machine!"

"So you won't surrender then? Fine with me, now I am authorized to beat you down!" Centurion said. "First things first!" The Machias held out his right hand and aimed it at Will Neville's casket. **"Perfect Shell!"** he shouted as he let out a red sphere that expanded around the coffin. "If my Intel is accurate, then you need to destroy Will Neville's corpse to gain full control over the Infinity Clock. This barrier will ensure that you don't get that chance, and nothing can shatter it; not even a meteor can dent it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to defeat you if I wanna break that barrier," Midnight declared.

"You misunderstand; you're not going to defeat me!" Centurion stated as he swung his sword at the dark mage. **"God's Breaker Blade!"** he exclaimed, releasing a large, destructive energy beam from the point of his blade and sending it toward the Oracion leader. Midnight waved his hand, attempting to switch with the Machias, but his eyes grew wide as neither moved from their spot. The blast made contact and erupted instantly. The three mages covered their eyes from the light of the blast wave; when it passed, they saw Midnight standing a good distance away from where Centurion's attack had landed. "You even dodged that one, too; you're quite the skilled wizard. Too bad you had to use your talents to oppose Zentopia's will."

"Why… my reflector magic has no affect on you! How is that possible?" Midnight inquired.

"I'm sure on a human mage that technique of yours is very effective; however, I am not human," Centurion answered. "Since I'm a machine, I'm very resistant to your magic. If you wanna defeat me, you'll have to try a different approach. Now it's my turn to attack!" The Legion machine channeled more magic into his sword and aimed it at his foe. **"Holy Spread Shot!"** He fired multiple energy beams from his sword, directed right at the Leader of the Neo Oracion Seis.

" **Reflector!"** Brain II announced as he summoned a magic seal; the beams hit the seal and were blasted right back to their sender. The beams pelted Centurion repeatedly, but when it ended and the smoke cleared, the Machias showed no sign of any damage.

"Perhaps I need to be clearer on what I said. My attacks are supposed to be as strong as necessary to destroy my enemies," Centurion explained. "As you just witnessed, that's not enough to put a dent in me! If you want to win, then hit me with everything you've got!"

"Very well then! **Dark Capriccio** **!** " Midnight shouted as he launched his drilling beam of darkness at the mechanical warrior.

Centurion smirked before shouting, **"Long Shield!"** A long rectangular magical energy wall suddenly materialized around the Machias, shielding him from the dark mage's attack. "Not bad, but not good enough! I use Wall magic, so I can create barrier so impenetrable, it's like nothing can touch me!"

"We'll see about that!" Midnight accepted the challenge as he created a green sphere of dark magic in between his hands. " **Dark Rondo** **!"** The orb dispersed into numerous magic blasts and flew straight toward Centurion's barrier; the attacks struck the shield and bounced off, flying throughout the tomb. Some headed toward the Fairies and Weinheidt, though the Indian Knight quickly countered them by firing multiple Ki arrows at the blasts, protecting himself and his current allies.

Centurion glanced toward the three spectators with a neutral expression. "Nice job deflecting those attacks. I'm guessing you're the mages that want to stop these criminals too," he speculated. "Since you're not enemies of Zentopia, it is not protocol for me to attack you; however, I will also not protect you! Your friends have interfered with the Legion's mission and that means you're not our allies either. My mission is to detain this demon and bring him in for questioning; your safety is not of my concern. So if you wish to live, it would be best if you left this place immediately."

"Guess the Legion still has a bit of a grudge against us," Bisca said.

"It's fine. Just stay behind me and you'll be alright," Weinheidt assured. "I'll keep us safe."

" _So they're not going to leave, then they'll just end up collateral damage,"_ Centurion thought before he looked back at Midnight. "As for you, if that's the best you can do, then it's clear you have no chance of defeating me!" The Machias suddenly charged at the Oracion, appearing right in front of him in an instant with his sword ready. **"** **Charging Strike!"** he shouted as he flipped around his weapon and struck the Oracion in the chest with the hilt of his sword; Midnight was blown backward and landed hard on his back. He groaned in pain just before looking up to see Centurion standing over him. "I heard that you and your comrades did all this for the sake of power, but tell me, is this the power you craved? Is this the strength you believed could allow you to crush all your foes and bring destruction to the world? Then why are you the one on the ground?!" The Machias kicked the dark mage, moving him a bit before stomping on his chest. "I use Wall magic as my defense, and for offense, I have Breaker magic! Anything I strike is hit with an explosive force instantly, and after that, it's only a matter of moments before it shatters completely. That last attack I hit you with was supposed to crack every bone in your body but I didn't use the point of my blade or my full force since my orders are to take you in, but now you see what you're up against! With the two magics at my disposal, I'm an invincible tank, and since my will is to serve Zentopia to the end, my feelings enhance my magic beyond any force in Earthland! And that, my friend, is true power!"

" _Curse that damn Lapointe for not telling me the extent of this Machias' power; he's making decisions on his own now! I seem to be losing control of my puppets if Lapointe is already showing signs of mutiny; how long before Rancor and Imitatia do the same? I can't rely on any of them to stay loyal,"_ the Oracion thought. _"Well, no point worrying about that now, I must defeat this obstacle and destroy Will Neville's link to the clock!"_

Midnight then coughed up a little blood as he reached into his black vest. "What would a machine know of power?" he inquired as he brought out the combat drug. "I suffered many years of agony because of those who had power over me. I spent years gaining as much power as I could; eventually, I rose to become the strongest of the Oracion Seis! I learned what real power is and how to get it!" Midnight then popped the drug open and gulped it down. "True power comes from what you're willing to sacrifice; it's not something that you can just be made to have! My father gave up his own body and his soul for the power to command the darkness in this world, and I will do the same! I'll sacrifice everything for the power to destroy you!" The dark mage then grasped his chest in pain before screaming in anguish. His body then exploded in a flash of green and yellow light that blew Centurion away.

The Machias landed on his feet and raised an eyebrow at the dark mage. _"His magic seems to be growing; whatever that thing he drank was it's probably making him stronger,"_ he thought. _"Doesn't matter, 'cause that new power won't be of any use to him when he's already in his grave!"_ Centurion then raised his right fist, channeling magic into it; he smashed the ground, causing a small cave-in over Midnight. The pieces of earth over Brain II cracked and crumbled, descending onto the dark mage and burying him alive. The Zentopian machine smiled and turned to leave when the pile of rubble behind him exploded. Centurion turned around to see the rocks beginning to levitate and Midnight channeling a green aura while smirking devilishly. The Oracion waved his hand, sending the bits of rubble at the Machias. Centurion just used his wall magic, causing the flying rocks to shatter upon impact. "I seriously hope that wasn't your idea of an attack, for your sake!" he commented.

Midnight grasped at his hand before answering, "No, I was just testing the depths of my new abilities." He then clenched his fist at the machine. "That first attack was nothing more than a mere flex of my strength. Now you will see what I am truly capable of!" Midnight raised his hand, aiming at the Legion Machias. "Now have a taste of my new power! **Dark Wave!** " An enormous blast of dark magic shot out of the Oracion's palm and flew toward the mechanical soldier. Centurion crossed his arms, activating his long shield; the attack crashed into the Machias and washed him through the tomb. When it was over, Centurion stood up, still unfazed from Midnight's attack.

"Your new power is still no match for my defense magic," Centurion stated.

"Ha! I'm just getting started!" Midnight assured. **"Dark Geyser!"** Brain II slammed his fist into the ground, sending a stream of dark energy underground; the attack traveled through the tomb floor and struck the Machias, launching him into the ceiling. "Now fall! **Dark Gravity!** " Midnight cried out as he raised his hands; the ceiling above Centurion suddenly collapsed onto him, encasing him in a crater-filled large boulder. After a few minutes, the rubble moved a bit just before Centurion jumped out.

"Is that all you got?!" he asked the dark mage.

"Not even close!" Midnight replied. **"** **Dark Capriccio** **!"** He pointed two fingers at the Machias and fired his piercing spell at him. Centurion held out his hand to block it, but Midnight smirked and moved his fingers, bending the attack to change directions and strike the mechanical soldier from the back. Midnight chuckled before moving his fingers in multiple directions, commanding the dark beam to swerve around the Machias and strike him. "Well machine, how do you like my new power?! Is it too much for you to handle?!" Midnight said mockingly as he continued to toy with the Legion Platoon member. Centurion finally rebounded from his previous beating as the dark beam came right at him; he swatted it, dispersing it as he landed on his feet.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are, dark magical attacks will never get through my defenses since they are tools for the light of Zentopia!" Centurion declared.

"Then I'll just have to shatter you with my fists!" Midnight stated as he channeled dark magic into his fists.

"So you're starting to get serious? Then I'll have to do the same if I want to defeat you!" Centurion proclaimed. **"** **Impenetrable Fortress!"** A blue humanoid-shaped barrier of magic appeared and encased the mechanical soldier. "This is the ultimate barrier of the wall magic. My body is completely protected by this unbreakable shield while allowing me to go on the offense in battle!" Centurion clenched his fist as he took his stance. "No one has ever broken through this barrier before!"

"Then allow me to be the first!" Midnight accepted the challenge.

"Let's see you try!" Centurion shouted as he charged at the Oracion; the mechanical soldier swung his sword at the dark mage but he easily dodged the slash. Midnight countered by swinging his fist enhanced with dark magic at the Machias, who took no damage from the blow thanks to Impenetrable Fortress mode. The two were soon locked in combat, and as they fought their collision of energy made the underground tomb tremor. Centurion then jumped and brought his sword down on the dark mage, yet Midnight just grabbed the blade in between his hands before releasing a strong force that repelled the Machias backward. Centurion stuck his sword into the ground to stop himself before charging at Midnight with his fist ready. Midnight just grabbed his fist before kicking him aside.

Weinheidt watched as the two mages duked it out. _"Something's not right, and it's not just Midnight's magic that's increased. His Ki… seems to growing dramatically, and both are mixing together to strengthen him!"_ he thought. "I don't know how that's possible, but the big guy may not be enough to take him out."

" **Spiral Pain!"** Midnight shouted as he created a strong vortex of distorted air and hit Centurion with it; the mechanical soldier was tossed through the air and slammed into the ground on his back. Brain II then jumped right above and held out his hands. "Let's test the limits of your impenetrable barrier, shall we? **Dark Rondo!** " He fired numerous green blasts that rained down on the Zentopian machine; Centurion crossed his arms and took the attack head on. The blasts consumed the Machias as Midnight continued to fire his attack while laughing evilly.

Tired of sitting and watching, the Indian Knight looked at the injured fairies and commanded, "You two stay here! When you've recovered enough, get back to the guild hall!"

"What are you going to do?" Bisca inquired.

"Take down that Brain!" Weinheidt answered before running toward the battlefield; the Specialist of the Custody Enforcement Unit brought his bow and arrow and fired one of his Ki-arrows at the Oracion. Midnight noticed the attack and tilted his head to evade it; it whizzed past his ear, missing him before exploding into a large smokescreen. Midnight glanced around as he tried to see through the smoke when Weinheidt suddenly jumped through the smoke with his fist ready, surprising Midnight. **"Stone Smasher!"** he shouted as he poured Ki into his fist and swung it at the dark mage, striking him in the cheek and sending him flying out of the smokescreen. Midnight flew into the far end of the tomb and crashed into the wall before falling to the ground. Weinheidt descended to the ground where Centurion was and stood beside the Machias, who had gotten up.

"What are you doing, civilian?! Stand down, I cannot focus on my mission if I have to look out for your well being!" Centurion said.

"First off, I'm not a civilian. I'm Philip Weinheidt, Specialist of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit!" Weinheidt stated. "And my mission is also to take this guy in for the Magic Council! But it's clear that this guy is a lot stronger than he looks and he's pretty resilient too; he might be too much for one of us to handle alone, which is why we need to work together to beat him!"

"I have no interest in working with someone not of the Legion Platoon or Zentopia," Centurion replied.

Weinheidt glared at the Machias before saying, "If that's the case then fine, but I'm not just gonna stand around and watch any longer! So I'm going in, whether you want me too or not!"

Centurion glanced at him before he looked over to the place where Midnight landed; the dark mage stood up and rubbed his cheek before glancing at it to see the blood that dripped from his mouth. "Very well, just make sure you stay out of my way," the legion member said.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing!" the hunter responded.

The Oracion leader smirked excitedly at his two opponents as he started emitting energy. "This is gonna be fun," he said. Weinheidt and Centurion charged at the dark mage; the two continuously threw punches and kicks at Midnight but he managed to block their attacks. Brain II then struck both of them in the chest, blowing them backward.

"Get ready to fly!" Weinheidt told Centurion as he grabbed his wrist. The Indian Knight then tossed the Machias toward the enemy.

" **Charging Strike!"** Centurion shouted as he swung his sword at the dark mage. Midnight jumped over the mechanical soldier, evading his strike. Weinheidt quickly brought his bow and arrow out before aiming at Midnight. **"Dynamite Arrow!"** he yelled as he fired a Ki arrow at the dark mage. Brain II fired a blast at it, causing it to detonate and the explosion blew the evil one into a wall. Centurion then appeared above the dark mage with his fist ready and emitting magic power. "Back to Hades, demon! **Flowing Strike!** "he exclaimed as he threw his fist downward and sent the Oracion leader plummeting toward the ground, where his impact made a deep trench in the ground. Both Centurion and Weinheidt stood on ledges over the crater and prepared to fire devastating attacks.

" **Holy Spread Shot!"** Centurion shouted as he created multiple energy beams with his sword and launched them into the crater.

" **Piercing Arrow Barrage!"** Weinheidt roared as he fired a barrage of Ki-empowered arrows that rained down on the trench. The two attacks pounded the Oracion repeatedly until the entire hole was filled with smoke. The two finally halted their attacks and looked into the crater; the smoke was suddenly blown away, revealing an uninjured Brain II standing in the center of the trench.

"What?! It can't be! How is he still standing?!" Centurion inquired in disbelief.

" _It's just as I feared! His Ki has increased and is somehow fusing with his magic,"_ Weinheidt thought. _"It's not much, but it's not a natural combination. If he keeps pushing himself he could become unstable!"_

"Was that the best the two of you could do?" Midnight asked. "Because I didn't feel a thing!" The dark mage then raised his hands with magic energy in them. **"Dark… Inferno!"** The Oracion leader pressed his hands against the ground, created a massive fiery pillar of dark magic that erupted from inside the carter; the blast wave blew the fighters away instantly. Weinheidt groaned as he stood up, only to find Midnight standing directly in front of them. "Feels like you've been hit by the fists of a thousand suns, doesn't it?" the dark mage stated.

"Yup! And now I'm gonna make you feel the same pain tenfold!" Weinheidt promised as he tried to hit the Oracion leader. However, Midnight blocked all of his blows before grabbing his wrist and hitting him in the abdomen with a magic blast, making him fall to his knees. Centurion suddenly appeared behind Midnight with his hands clamped together; he brought them down onto the dark mage, but they were blocked by Midnight's hand. Brain II swung the Machias over his head and slammed him into the Indian Knight before nailing them with a large magical blast the sent the plummeting to the bottom of the tomb.

"HA, HA, HA!" Midnight laughed. "This truly is the power I've been seeking! With this power, the Neo Oracion Seis will become invincible!"

Centurion and Weinheidt stood up and glared at the Oracion leader. "He's not making this easy for us," the Machias said.

"It's more than that, his power is constantly increasing!" the hunter warned. "If we don't stop him soon, he'll become too strong for us, and I'm not sure if we can last long enough for the effects of his special juice to wear off!"

"So what's the plan of attack?" Centurion asked.

"I have a super strong attack that should be enough to take him out in one go," Weinheidt explained. "Problem is, it takes time for me charge up this attack."

"So you need a few minutes, huh? Not a problem, I'll buy you all the time you need!" Centurion assured. "Gives me the opportunity to pound him into the ground!"

"Just be sure there's some of him left for me to attack!" Weinheidt said as he brought out another arrow.

"What's the matter? Taking your time to come up with a plan to defeat me?" Midnight asked mockingly. "Is my new power making you that unsure of your own power?"

"You wish!" the Indian Knight replied as he aimed his arrow at the dark mage. **"Solar Flare Arrow!"** He fired his arrow at Brain II; before it got near him, the arrow exploded into a flash of bright light that filled the room. Midnight quickly covered his eyes to block the light; when it passed, Brain II opened his eyes and saw Centurion charging at him with his sword. The Mechanical soldier swung his weapon madly at the dark mage. As that was happening, Weinheidt was pouring energy into his Ki arrow while aiming it at Midnight. Centurion and Midnight continued to exchange blows until the dark mage blasted him away. Centurion landed on his feet and pointed his sword at the leader of the Neo Oracion Seis while concentrating all of his magic power into it.

" **God's Breaker Blade!"** Centurion exclaimed. He fired an immense magical beam at Midnight. The amassed power from Centurion's ultimate attack created a massive explosion that devastated anything within range. However, Midnight managed to create a green dome of dark magic to protect himself from the blast.

"Just give up, no one has the power to defeat the Neo Oracion Seis," Midnight said.

"Are you sure about that?" Centurion inquired.

Weinheidt finished charging his arrow and aimed it at Midnight's back. _"One arrow, one shot, and it's all over!_ _ **Power Shot!**_ _"_ he thought as he released the arrow; it sailed through the air until it struck the unsuspecting Midnight in the back. The Oracion leader's eyes grew wide as the arrow went through his back and came out from his stomach; his look of surprise suddenly changed into a smirk just before he faded out of existence. "What?! How?!" Weinheidt questioned. He then sensed someone behind him and turned around to find Midnight's hand directly in front of his face.

"Bang," Midnight muttered before firing a dark blast at the Indian Knight's face. The blast blew Weinheidt backward into a tomb wall, where he got stuck. He struggled to free himself just before Midnight appeared in front of him He glared at the dark mage with one eye open while his other one was closed and the left side around his face was smoking from the last attack.

"Now it's over," Brain II declared as he put magic into his right fist and punched Tyson's disciple in the gut, rendering him unconscious.

Centurion jumped to slash at the dark mage with his sword, but he disappeared again. He reappeared behind the mechanical soldier with magic spheres around his hands extending to the shape of whips. **"Zero Slash!"** Midnight swung his dual whips, smacking them against Centurion's Impenetrable Fortress spell. The continuous beating from the dark mage's attacks eventually put a crack in the Machias' barrier before he was knocked into wall. "Looks like your impenetrable fortress just became penetrable," Midnight joked as he walked toward the machine. "Give up, my comrades have nearly completed their missions and the links to the Infinity Clock will all be severed! It's over!"

"As long as my body is still functional, I will continue to fight for the honor of Zentopia! I am its ultimate weapon and I will destroy any that stand against it! It's not over!" Centurion declared.

"Very well then, I'll enjoy smashing your body into pieces of scrap!" Midnight said while smiling wickedly. The two mages revved up their magic power and charged at each other to resume their battle.

* * *

Back with Gohan, the Demi Saiyan and the Tufflebot continued their showdown. Gohan punched Rancor in the gut, elbow bashed him in the head, and kicked him in the face twice before finishing his attack by blasting the machine into the ground. Not wanting to waste time or energy, Gohan dove after Rancor to continue beating him, but before he reached the earth, he was met with a punch to the face by the Hatchiyak which was followed by a numerous barrage of punches. Rancor then kicked Gohan upward and fired a blast at him; the Son of Goku deflected it and fired his own blast. The two repeatedly fired blasts at each other, and they ended it by punching each other in the face. Rancor recovered first and elbow bashed the Demi Saiyan to the earth; Gohan glared at the war machine as he raised his hands above his head. **"Masenko… ha!"** he shouted as he fired his signature attack at the robot.

"Ha! Is that all you've got?!" Rancor asked before disappearing to evade the attack.

"One more! Ha!" Gohan cried before firing another Masenko at the Hatchiyak; the machine continuously dodged Gohan's relentless blasting. The half Saiyan eventually stopped and charged at Rancor. He threw multiple punches and kicks at the machine before skull bashing him in the face and kicking him in the back, sending him plummeting into the earth. Gohan took a few deep breaths as he waited for Rancor to resurface. _"Damn it! I'm getting nowhere fast! I'm just exhausting my energy; that's probably what he wants me to do,"_ he thought. Numerous energy blasts suddenly flew upward toward the Saiyan Hybrid; he crossed his arms to block them, leaving himself open to Rancor's attack from above. The machine fired another blast at Gohan's back, which weighed him down and sent him to the ground. Gohan knocked away the blast and landed on all fours.

"Now this is how I remember a Saiyan should look, on his knees before the might of the Tuffles!" Rancor stated. "Heh! I know your warrior race hangs on to the bitter end, but how much longer can you delay the inevitable?!"

" _I have to end this now,"_ Gohan thought before he smirked and said, "I know I'm going to regret this, but now really isn't the time to conserve energy. All I need is one shot…" He then channeled Ki into his right hand. **"Chasing Bullet!"** he shouted as he fired a Ki blast at the Hatchiyak.

"You must be getting desperate, you can't think of any way to defeat me so you're just wasting your energy!" Rancor said as he avoided the blast; he smirked at the Saiyan but it didn't last as his sensors detected the same attack coming at him from behind. The Tufflebot dodged it again, yet it swerved through the air and came back at him. Rancor flew off through the skies with the Chasing Bullet right on his tail.

" _There, that should keep him busy for a while,"_ Gohan thought as he took his stance and started gathering Ki into a single point.

Rancor soared through the skies, moving in every direction as the energy blast followed close behind. "Do you really think he can defeat me with this move, Saiyan? Such primitive thinking, but that is to be expected from a mindless monkey!" he said before stopping to face the attack; he crossed his arms and the Chasing Bullet crashed into him. He then separated his arms, deflecting the attack effortlessly. "I told you that wouldn't work on me, Saiyan!"

"Maybe not, but it gave me enough time to do this..!" Gohan replied as a blue star of Ki formed in between his palms. **"Kamehame… ha!"** Raising his hands upward, the Son of Goku fired the turtle shock wave at the stunned Hatchiyak; the enormous beam flew right at the Tufflebot, who frantically held out his right hand to block the attack. The blast collided with the robotic hand and pushed against it; Rancor pushed back with all his might as Gohan poured as much Ki into the attack as he could manage. The Tufflebot attempted to counter the shock wave with his own energy attack, but it was too small and was quickly canceled out.

"Darn it! I can't hold it any longer!" Rancor cried just as his right hand started disintegrating from Gohan's attack. Desperate to escape, Rancor placed two fingers against his forehead and concentrated as much as he could. In an instant, he disappeared and the attack flew higher into the heavens until it exploded in the atmosphere.

Gohan huffed heavily as he lowered his hands and powered down to base form. "It's over," he muttered.

"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT, SAIYAN?!" Rancor yelled angrily. Gohan quickly turned and his eyes grew wide as he saw the Hatchiyak coming at him with his left fist reared back; instinctively, Gohan crossed his arms, blocking Rancor's punch and was pushed backward a few feet. He gazed at the Hatchiyak in awe while the machine, whose right arm was gone from his shoulder down, was glaring daggers at him. "You damn monkey!" he growled.

"Impossible! You couldn't have dodged that! How did you escape that blast?!" Gohan questioned.

"I told you that I share the abilities of all grudging spirits within me, one of them is Cooler's," Rancor answered. "During his time as Meta-Cooler, he revealed he was capable of a technique your father knew: the Instant Transmission!"

"What?! Cooler knew the teleportation technique?!" Gohan asked in surprise.

"Yes, he claimed it was one of his favorite techniques," Rancor replied.

"That doesn't make sense! If it was Meta-Cooler who was able to teleport, then you shouldn't have that ability! He was just a mechanical puppet!" Gohan argued.

"Only a miniscule-minded primate would be incapable of understanding the logic in this case," Rancor said before explicating. "True, the machine was the one doing the teleporting, but it had the mind of Cooler himself! If the Frost Demon did not know how to perform the technique himself, the machine wouldn't have been able to use it or any of his techniques or fighting styles! It was Cooler's knowledge and experience that the mechanical puppet could process that allowed it to use the Instant Transmission, just like me!"

The Demi Saiyan glared at the Tufflebot as he understood what he meant. Cooler's own essence was a part of Rancor now, so as long as the Frost Demon knew how to perform the technique, Rancor could use it just as well since he had his mind, even if Cooler never used it himself. It was just a matter of mimicking what he had stored in his brain. Gohan clenched his fist before calming down and smiling at the machine. "Heh! So you survived my Kamehameha wave, but it doesn't matter much 'cause you had to sacrifice your right arm to do it!" Rancor gritted his teeth as he grasped his shoulder. "Your body has taken significant damage; you're in no shape to continue fighting me! So why don't you give up, and make me destroying you less work?!"

"Never! I refuse to accept defeat at the hands of a Saiyan ever again!" Rancor shouted.

"You don't have a choice!" Gohan yelled back. "This fight is over for you!"

Rancor growled at the half Saiyan before he fell to his knees. His body suddenly started channeling green energy; as this happened, numerous fragments of purple Ethernano began forming around the Tufflebot's missing right arm space. The specks of magic instantly mixed with Rancor's energy, and a white muscular right arm with purple gems on the shoulder and wrist was formed. Rancor then stood up and glanced at his new arm; he opened and closed his hand before looking at the Saiyan and smirking. "Well, this is a nice surprise!" he said.

"What?! T-That's impossible! Machines can't regenerate!" Gohan stated. "How is that possible?! What just happened?!"

"This world holds many wonders, but its greatest miracle is the source of magic for these Wizards," Rancor started to explain. "Just like your power comes from your Ki, theirs comes from the magic they wield! But unlike you and I, their power comes from a different source other than their own life force. It comes from Ethernano!"

"Ethernano?!" Gohan inquired.

"It's the base substance upon which magic power is built from and it exists everywhere, even in the atmosphere," Rancor continued. "This supply of Ethernano is limitless and the beings in this world can draw it in and convert it into magic power."

"Ok, what does that have to do with you becoming part Frieza?!" Gohan demanded.

"Machines aren't like humans, especially those that become sentient or self-aware," Rancor stated. "Our energy source is infinite, but when we come across a new source, we adapt to it. After being exposed to Ethernano for some time, my body started to naturally absorb this new power and stored it within the core of my own energy till it was needed. Then, when you destroyed my right arm, my system automatically released the Ethernano I had stored away, and with it fused with my life force energy, it took on a new form that my grudge desired!" Rancor's new Frieza-like arm was then coated in red metal from his body. "In short, Saiyan, you can't defeat me by smashing a single part of me; you'll have to destroy my entire body to win, but I wonder if you have the strength to do after pulling off that last attack and with the Destron Gas sapping away your life force!" Rancor then charged at the Demi Saiyan and tried to punch him with his new arm; Gohan quickly jumped away from the Tufflebot and turned Super Saiyan.

Rancor pointed his new arm at the Son of Goku and fired multiple finger beams at him; Gohan crossed his arms to block them. Rancor suddenly appeared behind the black-haired Saiyan and punched him in the back, sending him crashing into the ground. "Nothing irritates a Tuffle more than a Saiyan getting the jump on them, but you managed to prove that wrong. You, little half monkey twit, made me do something that is beyond despicable: you made me use the same technique as a Saiyan!" The war machine descended to ground level and stood before the hybrid. "That is the ultimate shame for a Tuffle, and there is no forgiveness for it!" Rancor charged Ki into his right fist and held it over Gohan. "But mark my words, I will make you suffer, by my honor as the Tuffle's grudge personified, I'll ensure that the final moments of your pathetic life are a living hell before you beg me to kill you!"

Rancor threw his fist onto the Demi Saiyan; the impact caused a massive shockwave around the red robot. When it passed, Rancor was in a trench but the Saiyan of Fairy Tail was gone. The machine looked up to see Gohan in the sky, having avoided the blow by jumping up at the last second. "Like I'd ever beg you for anything!" Gohan boasted. "I'm not giving up yet! I'll do whatever it takes to beat you, bet on it!

"Such brave words, monkey, but can you back them up?!" Rancor inquired. "I can sense how weak your power level is, you can't even enter your 2nd Super Saiyan state and you're barely managing to hold your current form! So why don't we put that boast of yours to the test!" Rancor then jumped into the air, meeting Gohan in the sky; he threw a few punches at the Saiyan that he quickly blocked and the two traded blows. Gohan managed to land two punches on Rancor; he was barely fazed and started flying around the half Saiyan while rapidly punching him and hitting him with eye beams **. (A/N: Yes, just like the move Superman used on Darkseid in that Apocalypse movie.)**

He then stopped and hit Gohan with a strong blast, sending him back to the ground before diving after him. Gohan landed on his back before raising his hand and firing three Ki blasts at the Tufflebot; Rancor deflected the blasts and fired his own energy attack at the Saiyan. Gohan backflipped away from the numerous blasts and landed on his feet. Rancor flew toward him and was met with a kick to the face from the Saiyan hybrid; Rancor just smirked before elbow bashing Gohan. The Son of Goku slid on his back and stopped just as the Hatchiyak appeared above him, ready to stomp him. Gohan fired an energy blast from his hands to launch himself away from the robot. He flew through the air but quickly came to a stop when Rancor appeared in his path.

"What's the matter, Saiyan? You seem to be moving much slower than when we started fighting," Rancor stated mockingly.

Gohan flew off into another direction but was kicked in the face by his opponent; he quickly recovered and continued to fly. Rancor appeared above him and elbow bashed and blasted him to the ground. Gohan crash landed on his stomach and groaned in pain as he tried to crawl away from the Hatchiyak. "Aw, what's wrong, monkey? Not having fun? I thought your kind enjoyed fighting, why is this not the case?" Rancor continued to mock Gohan. "Maybe it's because you're incapable of fighting back that the game's not as much fun, huh? I'll admit, this is hardly entertaining if you're like this… so why don't we end this." Rancor then channeled his Ki into his chest gem while aiming it at the half Saiyan.

Gohan got to his knees, trying to find the strength to stand and fight. When the red robot finished charging up, he shouted, **"Revenge Cannon!"** and fired his signature attack the Demi Saiyan. Gohan grasped the ground as he struggled to get up and evade the attack. "No… I can't… let it end this way! I have to… stop this guy… so that my friends can stop… the Neo Oracion Seis!" Gohan muttered. "Katja… Wendy… all of Fairy Tail, they're counting on me! I WON'T LET MY FRIENDS DOWN AGAIN!" The Demi Saiyan stood up and faced the blast; he swatted it aside, disappeared, and reappeared behind Rancor before putting him in a headlock. **(A/N: Like the one Bardock uses.)**

"Typical Saiyan, your kind can never just accept defeat," Rancor scoffed.

"Got you now! There's no way you can attack me like this, and even with my current strength, I'm capable of holding you still!" Gohan stated.

"So what now, Saiyan?! You can't exactly attack me and if you plan to snap my neck, then don't bother. That won't be enough to kill me!" Rancor said.

"I know that!" Gohan declared, surprising the Hatchiyak. "You said I'd have to destroy your entire body to defeat you, right? I'll just use the last of my energy to perform an attack strong enough to do just that!" Gohan's body suddenly started glowing gold as tiny specks of Ki and Ethernano flew around him and Rancor.

" _I sense his power's increasing dramatically, but how does he still have such power left in his condition?"_ Rancor thought before saying, "What are you planning, Saiyan?! You can't possibly attack me like this even if you do have the power to do so!"

"Heh! That's where you're wrong, Tufflebot! Even while I'm holding you like this, I can still use one final attack, and it'll definitely destroy you and end this fight once and for all!" Gohan assured the machine.

"You're bluffing, there's no way you can pull off an attack like that in your state," Rancor denied before a thought came to him. "Unless you…"

"Finally figured it out, huh? That's right; I plan to stop you by taking us both out!" Gohan replied. "Even in my weakened state, I can pull off an explosion strong enough to destroy you, especially when you can only access 40% of your maximum power!"

"No, you can't! I won't let you!" Rancor stated as he elbow bashed Gohan's gut; the Demi Saiyan cringed in pain but held on tight to the Tufflebot. Rancor continued to strike the half Saiyan but his grip on him didn't let up at all. Rancor then fired a blast at Gohan's stomach but it still had no effect on him.

"There's no point in resisting, this is the end for the both of us!" Gohan declared as he started to glow even brighter.

* * *

Back with Wendy, the Storm Dragon Slayer was using her magic to heal the Indian Knight Jillian while Bickslow lay beside her. All three heroes seemed oblivious to Erigor slowly walking toward the Sky maiden. "Just hang on, Bickslow. I'll get to you as soon as I'm done with Ms. Jillian," she promised her guildmate.

"Sure thing, kid, just take your time. I'm not going anywhere," Bickslow replied. He then noticed the Grim Reaper getting closer to the Dragon Slayer. "Hey, Wendy, look out behind you!"

The Storm mage raised his scythe as he prepared to slash the little wizard, but before he could, Wendy's healing magic aura expanded and engulfed Erigor. The Storm mage suddenly saw visions of four people who seemed familiar to him. When it passed, Erigor grasped his face in pain. "What is this? Who was that? What did you do to me?!" he asked furiously before he backed away from the good guys.

"I'm not sure what just happened, but you got to him somehow, kid," Bickslow noted.

"No… make it stop! Get out of my head! I don't want any memories!" Erigor shouted as he flew through the air and grasped his head.

"Looks like this freak's mind is turning on him," Bickslow stated.

"Stay away, Kageyama! I can't hear myself think!" Erigor continued to shout.

"It seems that his memories were being blocked by some dark magic, which is why he couldn't remember anything, but somehow Wendy's healing magic broke through for a second and now he's experiencing mental pain!" Jillian explained.

"Feels like he's being torn apart from the inside out," Bickslow remarked.

"I wanna help him!" Wendy blurted out, surprising her allies. "If my healing magic started this, then maybe I can use it to stop whatever's blocking his memories."

"You really wanna help the guy who tried to kill us?!" Bickslow asked her.

"I understand how you feel, Wendy, but this man is still our enemy," Jillian reminded her. "Helping him might just make things worse for us."

"I know that, but I have to help him! I can't just leave him like this if I can do something!" Wendy said as she started emitting magic power.

" _You're a sweet girl, Wendy. You have a kind heart,"_ Jillian thought as she smiled at the Sky maiden.

"YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Erigor shouted as he sent a massive storm blast toward the Storm Dragon Slayer.

" **Storm Dragon Healing Roar!"** Wendy shouted as she let out her breath attack. The two storm attacks collided and pushed against each other.

"I'LL MAKE SURE THERE'LL BE NOTHING LEFT OF YOU, FLY!" Erigor yelled.

"You have to remember! REMEMBER!" Wendy ordered.

"Man, this kid is stubborn!" Bickslow said.

"Come on, Wendy, give it all you've got!" Jillian urged the Sky Dragon.

The two forces suddenly exploded in a blinding white light. In the depths of his own mind, Erigor saw another vision of the four he saw earlier except now a fifth was among them. _"Hey!"_ the fifth man called to the Grim Reaper. _"Do you have any idea how pathetic you look right now?"_ The man chastising him was revealed to be his past self back before he joined the Oracion Seis, complete with his hair, old scythe, and tattoos. _"Hard to believe I'd give up so much just for power!"_

"I know you… you're… me," Erigor said in awe. He then screamed in agony as his body was struck by purple lightning. When it stopped, his body was smoking as he passed out and fell to the floor.

"What just happened?" Jillian inquired.

"Something nasty just popped out of his soul," Bickslow answered.

"He's in pain… because of me," Wendy muttered sadly. "All I wanted was to heal his mind, but I ended up hurting him instead."

"Relax, Wendy. Even though he looks like he's in bad shape, he's actually fine. His life force has calmed down and stabilized. Whatever blocked his memories must be gone now, so he'll be alright once he recovers. You did a good job, kid," Jillian complimented the Sky Dragon. When she saw the still concerned look on Wendy's face, she said, "You wanna heal him, don't you, but you're worried about your friend. Don't worry, Wendy, I'll take care of Erigor while you heal Bickslow." Wendy nodded before going to heal her fellow Fairy while Jillian attended to Erigor.

* * *

Back with Gohan, Rancor continued to struggle against the Demi Saiyan's grip as he continued to build up more energy for his attack. "Release me, Saiyan! How can you end a battle this way?! Where is your pride as a Saiyan, your honor as a fighter?! You can't be serious about killing yourself just to destroy me!" he yelled.

"This isn't about honor or pride! This is about doing what's right and protecting this world from threats like you!" Gohan replied.

"What about the Neo Oracion Seis?! Do you really think those pathetic human mages can stop them without your help?!" Rancor inquired.

Gohan hesitated for a moment before answering, "I have faith in my friends, they beat the Oracion Seis before and they can do it again. I just need to make sure that you aren't around to see that happen!" The half Saiyan's body was soon completely covered in gold Ki.

"LET ME GO! ARE YOU INSANE, MONKEY?!" Rancor cried out.

Gohan didn't answer him as he closed his eyes. _"This is the end for me. Wendy, Natsu, all of Fairy Tail, my heart was wounded from the mistakes I made during my fight with Cell. I didn't think I'd be happy again after my father died, but you all made me a part of you guild. You showed me a whole new life and helped me when I was lost. Thank you for making me a part of your family. I'm sorry, Katja, I'm sure Tyson and the others can keep you safe. Coco, I hope you'll be alright when this Holy War is over. Trunks, mom, my friends back at home, even you, Vegeta… this is goodbye."_ Gohan then gripped Rancor's neck tighter as streams of Ki started shooting out of his body. _"Dad, I'm sorry I failed you, I couldn't live to be the warrior you hoped I'd become… but at least… maybe I'll get to see you again…"_ Just then, a magic seal appeared on Rancor's chest gem; it showed six numbers before the 6th suddenly disappeared and the space it occupied started glowing green. Gohan then shouted, "THIS IS THE END, THE WAR BETWEEN THE SAIYANS AND THE TUFFLES ENDS NOW!" before both he and Rancor were consumed in a massive dome of gold energy that expanded across the land; it stretched into the heavens as the planet shook violently.

* * *

All throughout Isghar, the members of Fairy Tail, the Legion Platoon, and the Indian Knight Trio felt the massive quake from Gohan's self destruction, but they weren't the only ones. At the Lamia Scale guild hall, all the mages stumbled as their place shook. "This can't be a good sign," Jura mused.

"From what just happened, it seems like things have gotten even worse than what you told us, Lyon," Master Ooba said.

"I know, that's why I need to alert Trunks right now, but he's not back yet," Lyon said.

"His mission was a few days ago, so he should be getting back soon," Chelia said.

At that moment, the Saiyan Prince walked through the door with a small pouch and a shard in his hand. "Hey guys, I finished the mission. Check this out, the client even let me take some of the Lacrima the bandits were trying to steal. If this thing can really do all what you told me it does, it'll work wonders for my machines. This thing's putting out a lot of power…" He stopped talking when he noticed his guildmates looking at him seriously. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Trunks, remember when Lyon left to check on things with Fairy Tail?" Chelia asked the Saiyan. "Well, things seem to have gotten out of hand and your friend is deeply involved." Before he could ask for more details, the Time traveler looked out the window as his face held a surprised look. "Trunks, what is it?" she asked him.

"I just felt a tremendous distortion of Ki; it only surged for a second, but I'm positive that it was Gohan's energy," Trunks replied before turning to the Ice mage. "Lyon, what's going on with Gohan and his guild?"

"You remember the Hatchiyak right?" Lyon began to explain.

* * *

At Katja's home, Lahar and Doranbolt were doing their very best to catch the Android, but he dashed around the room and swiftly evaded every attack they threw at him. "Come on, ya'll! Put cher backs into it!" Tyson ordered. Suddenly, the room shook, which caught the three council officers' attention. "What in blazes was that?!"

"I don't know," Mest answered just before Katja rushed inside. "Katja, what's wrong?!"

"I saw this pillar of light in the distance, I think that's where Gohan went to fight the enemy!" she revealed. "He could be in trouble!"

"Settle down, little lady, I'll head on over there and check on city boy!" Tyson said. His eyes then started flashing green light. "Not good. City boy's energy has gone down; he's in a serious catastrophe! Alright ladies, ya'll better stick together and stay safe, I'll be back in a jiff!" Tyson then brought out a wine canteen and took a quick drink. "Aaaah, time to bring in the Chief!" The Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit revved up and flew off toward the battlefield of the Demi Saiyan and the Tufflebot.

On the battlefield, the area had a giant circular crater in the ground while an enormous black smoke cloud lingered in the air. Numerous bolts of lightning flashed through the sky as something fell from the black cloud. The Son of Goku slowly fell toward the earth while being unconscious…

 **A/N: And done! Finally! This took weeks to finish, I think; I lost track of time. Anyway, how about that for an exciting chapter; Gohan decides to pull the classic Saiyan move and bomb himself to take out the enemy, but did he succeed? Sorry to leave you all like this, hope you're not in too much suspense, but this makes the story even more thrilling, right?! Hope you're all still reading and reviewing, because there's more in store for ya! Until the next chapter, TTFN AntiHero out! Oh, one more thing… Happy New Year!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: We're back and it's time for another chapter of Dragon Tail Z! Thanks for the reviews and hope you like this chapter; I put a lot of work into it and there's a little surprise near the end. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading this fanfic!**

 **Last time on Dragon Tail Z, Gohan was in a fierce battle against Rancor; after being poisoned by the Destron Gas, the Son of Goku had decided to detonate himself and Rancor together in the hopes that it would destroy the Tufflebot, even if he died in the process.**

 _ **Rancor continued to struggle against the Demi Saiyan's grip as he continued to build up more energy for his attack. "Release me, Saiyan! How can you end a battle this way?! Where is your pride as a Saiyan, your honor as a fighter?! You can't be serious about killing yourself just to destroy me!" he yelled.**_

" _ **This isn't about honor or pride! This is about doing what's right and protecting this world from threats like you!" Gohan replied.**_

" _ **What about the Neo Oracion Seis?! Do you really think those pathetic human mages can stop them without your help?!" Rancor inquired.**_

 _ **Gohan hesitated for a moment before answering, "I have faith in my friends, they beat the Oracion Seis before and they can do it again. I just need to make sure that you aren't around to see that happen!" The half Saiyan's body was soon completely covered in gold Ki.**_

" _ **LET ME GO! ARE YOU INSANE, MONKEY?!" Rancor cried out.**_

 _ **Gohan didn't answer him as he closed his eyes. "This is the end for me. Wendy, Natsu, all of Fairy Tail, my heart was wounded from the mistakes I made during my fight with Cell. I didn't think I'd be happy again after my father died, but you all made me a part of you guild. You showed me a whole new life and helped me when I was lost. Thank you for making me a part of your family. I'm sorry, Katja, I'm sure Tyson and the others can keep you safe. Coco, I hope you'll be alright when this Holy War is over. Trunks, mom, my friends back at home, even you, Vegeta… this is goodbye." Gohan then gripped Rancor's neck tighter as streams of Ki started shooting out of his body. "Dad, I'm sorry I failed you, I couldn't live to be the warrior you hoped I'd become… but at least… maybe I'll get to see you again…" Just then, a magic seal appeared on Rancor's chest gem; it showed six numbers before the 6**_ _ **th**_ _ **suddenly disappeared and the space it occupied started glowing green. Gohan then shouted, "THIS IS THE END, THE WAR BETWEEN THE SAIYANS AND THE TUFFLES ENDS NOW!" before both he and Rancor were consumed in a massive dome of gold energy that expanded across the land; it stretched into the heavens as the planet shook violently.**_

 _ **On the battlefield, the area had a giant circular crater in the ground while an enormous black smoke cloud lingered in the air. Numerous bolts of lightning flashed through the sky as something fell from the black cloud. The Son of Goku slowly fell toward the earth while being unconscious…**_

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail! Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima, respectively, do!**

 **Chapter 21**

The Demi Saiyan fell from the heavens and landed with a hard crash; he laid flat on his back, completely knocked out. The top left part of his Gi was torn off, as was the right pant leg just above the knee while the left had a hole in it. His body had bruises and he was bleeding from his forehead. Gohan stirred awake and weakly opened his eyes. He groaned as he rose to his feet and looked up to see the dark smoke floating in the sky; he took deep breaths as he gazed up and smiled. "Heh! I'm surprised that I'm still alive after that attack, but at least I got him," Gohan muttered. "It's over."

Suddenly, numerous beams of light shot out of the black could before it exploded, making Gohan shield his eyes. _"Oh no,"_ he thought as the light faded and Rancor was shown to be in midair.

"Ahhh! It feels so good to be alive!" Rancor said before glancing down at Gohan, who was looking back at him with a surprised expression. "Too bad you won't be feeling that way in a few minutes."

"It can't be… I used every bit of energy I had," Gohan stated. "How did you survive?"

"It's all thanks to this," Rancor answered while pointing at his chest, which held a magic seal with five numbers on it. "That last attack was extraordinary; it would've decimated me at 40% of my full power. However, your wizard friends have managed to prove useful to me, one of them at least."

"What are you talking about?! Tell me!" Gohan demanded.

"You're aware that this seal that limits my power was placed on me by the Neo Oracion Seis, correct? The way the seal works is that as long as I wear it, those demons have complete ownership over me," Rancor explained. "Fortunately, there's a way for the seal to be removed without the Oracions' consent: they must be defeated in combat! The seal is linked to their will, so if any one of them were to be defeated in battle, their seal would be erased from what was branded by it."

"So, if one of the numbers on your seal is gone, that means…" Gohan muttered in realization.

"That's right, Saiyan! One of your comrades managed to defeat one of the Oracions," Rancor stated as he descended to the ground. "And with one member out of the way, a portion of my full power was let loose, increasing it to 50%, just enough to survive the explosion." The Tufflebot started walking slowly toward the Z Fighter. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Once all of those pathetic wizards are defeated, my seal will be broken and I'll be at 100% once again, then this world will feel my wrath to the fullest!" The war machine stood before Gohan, smirking wickedly. "Honestly, my plan was for you to defeat them when we first met, but it's clear that when you did, their wills were still strong. If the seal is to be destroyed, they must give up fighting, and it seems your friends are the ones that can make that happen, which means…" Rancor socked Gohan in the right cheek, sending him sliding across the hard floor. "That I have no reason to keep you alive, monkey."

Gohan cried out in pain as he grasped his cheek; he looked behind him to see Rancor aiming his right hand at him, and the machine fired an energy blast at the Saiyan. Gohan jumped to dodge it but was instantly kicked in the chest and sent back to the ground by Rancor. Gohan groaned as he sat up to see Rancor's finger pointed at him. "Finally, I can resume my plan to eradicate the remaining Saiyans. Once my power is fully restored, I'll be sure to wipe out every pathetic wizard guild in this world, starting with your friends at Fairy Tail!" Rancor declared. Gohan glared at the Tufflebot and in a burst of speed, he got up and tried to punch Rancor; the Hatchiyak grabbed Gohan's fist and pointed his index finger directly in front of his face. "Time to die, Saiyan!" Rancor's finger started emitting a speck of Ki; Gohan's eyes grew wide as the energy dot shined brightly in his face. Just before it was fired, something struck Rancor in the face, sending him flying as he fired the beam; the attack was launched and left a scratch on Gohan's left cheek. Rancor crashed into a large boulder and was buried in the rubble.

Blood spilled from Gohan's left cheek as he looked to his right to see the Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement standing beside him and tipping his hat. "Android 13?!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Hey there, city boy, looks like you could use a hand from the Chief," Tyson noted. "And it's the bucket of bolts that I gone toe to toe with, back and thirsty for another beating, huh?"

The rubble Rancor was buried in started levitating before it was vaporized in a flash of light. "Who dares...?" he questioned before he spotted the former Red Ribbon Cyborg. "You… I remember you. The Cyborg that fought me a while ago."

"That's right! You're looking at the Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement; yours truly, Tyson Hammer!" Tyson introduced himself. He then started scanning the Tufflebot's power level. "Have to say, metal man, you've gotten a bit stronger since the last time we squared off!"

"You have no idea," Rancor replied as he clenched his fist. "Since you're here, I assume that you're acquainted with this Saiyan scum!"

"Yup, city boy and I go way back, and I reckon the story of how I got here is just like yours," Tyson speculated. "I was built to achieve an old scientist, designed to be his secret weapon like you. And when I tried to follow my programming, I got my ass handed to me by Goku and his friends. Then I found myself in this bizarre place with no explanation or way to go home."

"That's just like my story, and now the both of us find ourselves serving even lower life forms, thanks to those Saiyans…like him." Rancor stated as he pointed to Gohan. "But it doesn't have to be this way. We can still fulfill our purposes and destroy this world. Join me Tyson, and we'll wipe out all of these worthless mages; we'll achieve our masters' goals for vengeance and dominate this world of magic… and we'll start…by killing the Saiyan monkey!"

Gohan kept quiet as he watched the exchange between Android 13 and the Hatchiyak; Chief Tyson then glanced at him, getting him to raise his eyebrow. The Cyborg just chuckled before looking back at the Tufflebot and answering "You know, back at our world, I probably would've agreed to your offer, but some kid with a thirty dollar haircut gave me some tips on free will, up until now, I didn't even know what that truly was. In this world, there ain't no Goku, so my programming is null in void, and here, being Android 13 means nothing for me just as being the Son of Goku means nothing for city boy. I learned what it means to live and it's pretty darn clear your response to this new world is different than mine. So thanks, but I ain't interested in going back to being some mindless minion for a dead man; the only thing I came to do is to kick your ass, and that's what I'm gonna do!"

"If that is your final decision, then I'll destroy you as well lowly human!" Rancor declared.

"Half human," Tyson corrected.

"And half of nothing is still nothing…to me!" Rancor said as his gems started glowing and he charged up his energy. "Ready?"

"Tyson wait! Be careful, he can use the same techniques as Frieza, and Turles and…" Gohan started to say before he was cut off.

"Relax city boy, your old pal Tyson will hog tie this metal man in no time! Just sit back, hold my hat and enjoy the show!" Tyson said as he tossed his trucker hat to the Saiyan before removing his cape and taking out his wine canteen. He took one big sip before letting out a heavy sigh and then smirked at the Tufflebot. "Okay, let's dance!" Tyson fired his finger beam at the Tufflebot who simply deflected the attack; the Cyborg then charged at the Hatchiyak and the two started trading blows. 13 got the jump on Rancor by blocking his kick and tossing him towards the earth before tackling him and taking him underground. The mechanical fighters dug deep in the earth before Tyson released Rancor to power up his S.S. Deadly Bomber and launched it at the war machine.

The blast explosion shook the surface as the Red Ribbon Android flew out of the ground. When it passed, Tyson glanced scanned the deep trench his blast created for the robot. "Now I know you ain't ready to bite the rust yet!" Tyson stated mockingly. "Come on son, I was just warming up!"

"As was I!" Rancor shouted as he burst out of the ground; he dashed towards the Cyborg and punched him in the face, kicked him in the gut and knocked him towards the ground. The Tufflebot then opened his mouth and fired a green blast at the Chief; the blast exploded on impact but Tyson was unharmed as he jumped out of the erosion surrounded by his energy shield.

"Sorry Metal man, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to kill me!" Tyson declared.

"Well then, here comes a lot more!" Rancor obliged as he held out his right fist to the Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement. He launched his rocket fist at the Cyborg but his attack was easily evaded. Rancor growled before rushing at Tyson and attempting to battle with his feet and one arm. Tyson effortlessly overpowered him before the Hatchiyak fired an energy beam from his arm cannon at the Chief's chest. Tyson shook it off in time for the red robot to reattach his right fist. Tyson fires multiple red energy blasts at Rancor, pounding him repeatedly. The Tufflebot was consumed in a cloud of smoke and the cybernetic soldier flew into the smoke. When he didn't see the Hatchiyak he immediately blew the smoke away.

Rancor suddenly appeared behind the Cyborg with his fist ready, which the Saiyan noticed and cried "Tyson look out!" The full machine threw his fight at the Chief but was surprised when his attack was caught by his opponent's hand. Tyson looked as Rancor and smirked before sending him flying with a punch. _"Impossible, how did he know I was there?!"_ Rancor thought as he stopped himself. _"Even if he can sense my energy, he shouldn't detected me that quickly when I teleport. It must've been luck."_ Rancor placed two fingers to his forehead and disappeared; every time he teleported to a location close to Tyson, the Chief would effortlessly blocked his assaults. Rancor's final attack was then countered by an energy blast from cybernetic soldier, causing him to crash into the earth.

" _Whoa, how is Tyson doing that?"_ Gohan thought.

"How is this inferior half machine capable of detecting my presence when I teleport before I can attack?" Rancor questioned as he got to his feet.

"You're probably wondering why your little trick isn't cutting it," Tyson said. "Well son, it's because I was designed to have all the perks of any Android, including the ability to sense the vibrations in the atmosphere; so you can keep hopping around as much as you'd like, but I'll always see you coming!" Tyson then flexed his neck before emitting red energy. "Time for and old fashion butt whooping!" he exclaimed before he phased in front of Rancor and hit with a skull bash attack. Rancor staggered a bit as Tyson disappeared again; the Tufflebot sensed his opponent coming behind him and threw a punch at him but Tyson just grabbed before kicking the robot away. Rancor fired an energy blast at the Cyborg who just deflected it. Rancor then fired numerous energy blasts at the Chief who evaded them by flying through the air. The Hatchiyak the dashed at the Cyborg and threw multiple punches and kicks at him which were dodged. Tyson then flew above Rancor and kicked him to the ground before diving behind and elbow bashing him in the back. "Come on now metal man, is that really all ya got?!" Tyson asked. Rancor faced the Android with a fierce look before he smirked. "What's got you so chipper now?"

"Forgive me Cyborg but I was just laughing at your question," Rancor replied. "To answer your question, no this not my full potential; though I am unable to access my full power, I can use 50% of it. It's been a while since I've used more than 40%, I need a few minutes to harness the new power boost properly." Rancor then started emitting a green aura around his body. "Now, you'll learn the difference between inferior half machine and a superior all fighting machine!" In a split second, the Hatchiyak sped towards Tyson and struck him in the gut; the Chief gasped in shock and received a punch to the face that sent him flying. Tyson caught himself and glared at the Tufflebot; He charged at the enemy who responded by dodging his two punched and gave him an uppercut. Rancor then raised his hands and put them together before slamming them on Tyson's head, making him plummet to the ground. The former Red Ribbon Cyborg landed on his feet as Rancor descended to the floor; the Hatchiyak then started beating Tyson repeatedly with his fists. He then finished his assault with Ki charged punch to the Chief's chin.

Tyson staggered backwards as his chin remained in an upward position; he grabbed his head and snapped it back in place before flexing his neck. "Well I'll be damn metal man; you've got some real hard punches there. Guess I'll give it my best shot if I wanna win this!"

"Go ahead and try half machine, but you'll never defeat me. Soon all of my power will be restored and I will unleash that power on you, the Saiyans, and all of humanity!" Rancor declared.

"Not if I rip yer circuits to shreds first!" Tyson said.

"Like I said previously, go ahead and try!" Rancor said as he waved his hand for Tyson to come at him. The Cyborg complied as he charged at the Tufflebot and the mechanical fighters continued their battle. Tyson fired red energy beams that Rancor countered with his own green ones. Within the fireworks of Ki attacks the two began throwing blows at each other. Rancor then gut kicked Tyson, punched him in the face, kicked him in the chin before grabbing his head and slamming him into the ground. Tyson kicked Rancor twice, escaping his grasp and back flipping away to gain some distance. Rancor hit Tyson with a kiai, causing him skid across the ground. Tyson got up as the war machine ascended to heavens; the Chief jumped after him and the fighters clashed.

Gohan watched as the two mechanical men continued to duke it out. _"From first glance, it looks like this fight can go either way, and because they're both mechanical fighters, they don't slow down from pain or tire out."_ the Saiyan thought. The battle then took a different turn as Rancor started to overwhelm Tyson Hammer. _"However, Rancor is even stronger than when he fought me, and it looks like Tyson is barely holding his own."_ Gohan clenched his fist in desperation as it sparked blue electricity. _"If this goes on, he could be killed…just like 16…I've got to do something!"_

* * *

Back at Katja's home, the Celestial wizard held onto her little friend while looking out with concern. Mest Gryder appeared beside her and placed his hand on her should to comfort her. "Don't worry Katja; I'm sure the kid will be fine." He assured.

"You really think so? He seemed worried about something before he left and we still don't know what cause that huge explosion," she said.

"Trust me, Chief Tyson is one of the best officers of the Council, with him watching the boy's back, he'll definitely be okay." Mest said.

"I hope you're right," Katja muttered as Nico groaned.

"Excuse me, if I may ask, are you being sheltered by the church for some reason?" Lahar inquired.

"Yes," Katja replied.

"Who are you exactly? And who were your friends you mentioned?" Lahar asked the girl. "Please, let us help you!"

The Celestial mage was about to answer when she suddenly gasped when her celestial spirit started sounding an alarm; the silver machine aimed at something and took a shot. Its supposed target suddenly struck the spirit, shattering it and sending back to the celestial spirit world. "Caelum no!" she cried.

"We're not alone here!" Lahar yelled.

"Hey, look out! He's behind you!" Mest alerted Katja as the two officers turned to aid her.

The attacker, who turned out to be Racer, appeared behind the Celestial mage while holding the anti-link blade. "I found you!" the speed demon said as he jumped at Katja, ready to stab her. Just before Racer could get her, the young girl suddenly disappeared from his grasp.

Mest teleported onto the stairs with Katja in his arms. "Don't worry, I've gotcha!" he assured the girl before he vanished with her again, evading Racer's second strike that shattered the staircase.

"Be careful Mest, he's dangerous!" Lahar warned his friend; the two mages dashed around the whole with incredible speeds.

Mest suddenly crashed into the table with Katja still in his grasp and slid across the top. When he stopped, he managed to catch a glimpse of the enemy that was now hanging from the ceiling. "Damn, he's with the Neo-Oracions Seis! Racer!" he stated.

The Dark mage chuckled as he stared at his prey "Destroy, the vessel! Destroy!" He charged at Katja and Mest again but the Councilman still evaded him with his teleportation magic. The speed demon smashed a part of the building, causing a stone beam to fall to the ground. "You're a very quick wizard, I'm gonna have fun destroying you!" Racer said to Mest; just before he could attack, Lahar bashed the Oracion into the side of the building. Racer growled as he saw the glasses wearing mage standing before him.

"Thanks Lahar, this guy's tougher than he looks." Mest said.

"Don't mention it." Lahar replied. "Mest, do you think you can hold him off a little longer while I get Katja to safety?"

"Heh, I was just about to tell you to do that," Mest replied. "Just leave this to me for now, and make sure she's safe!"

"I will." Lahar promised before turning to the Celestial mage. "Let's go!"

"But what about you?" Katja asked Mest.

"Don't worry about me, just get out of here!" Mest ordered.

"Are you sure?" Katja asked with concern.

"He can handle himself, there's no need for you to worry." Lahar assured her. "He may not look it, but he's a skilled wizard. If there's anyone who can take this guy, it's Mest."

"Thank you, and please be careful," Katja pleaded before leaving with Lahar.

Mest chuckled at his opponent as he prepared to fight him. "You know I've abandoned a lot of things, but losing my humanity is a line I'll never cross!" He told the Oracion.

"Destroy," Racer replied.

"Ok monster, let's see who's faster! Mest challenged the speed demon; the two dashed around the church hall, smashing into it repeatedly as they fought. Lahar and Katja with Nico in her arms ran far from the battlefield. The two speedy wizards flew right through the wall and continued their battle outside the Katja's home; they raced around the open field until Racer got the jump on Mest by slamming him into the ground. "I get it, you're pretty quick!" Mest said to Racer who appeared on the rooftop. "But I'm just warming up! Direct Line!" Mest and Racer disappeared again, moving around each other very quickly. _"This guy's so fast it's hard to see what he's doing!"_ Mest thought. _"But from what I can tell, he's only moving in simple straight lines! My direct line isn't as restrictive, so all I have to do is circle around him!"_ Ready to test out his new strategy, Mest moved to try and get around his opponent; he was surprised when Racer was the one who was behind him and not the other way around.

"I can see your movements fool!" Racer declared before he kicked Mest onto a small set of steps.

"Damn, I spent way too much time getting hammered, this is rough," Mest groaned in pain.

"What's wrong? Am I too fast? Sorry about that." Racer mocked the council officer. "This is nothing but my warm up! Time for round two!" The red lines on his body suit started glowing with magic.

In a far away location, Lahar stood with Katja by the enormous tree she was watching with Nico earlier; Lahar was performing a few hand movements, creating letters and placing them around the young Celestial wizard. "What are you doing?" Katja inquired.

"I'm creating a Jutsu Shiki barrier to keep you safe incase Racer makes it to our location," Lahar explained as he continued making the barrier. "So can you tell me about what you said earlier, about you and your friends?"

Katja nodded "Yes. The attacks on the churches are just a side effect; the true goal of the Neo Oracion Seis is to perform Anti-Link rights."

"What's an Anti-Link?" Lahar asked.

"Since Zentopia was founded there's been an underground society; it's managed to remain hidden from the powers that be since its inception." Katja explained. "They've worked to keep the Celestial Wizards of Neville safe and sheltered all this time."

"Neville? I heard he was a Celestial Wizard but it has never been confirmed." Lahar said.

"He was many things, including a great teacher who had many pupils. We're their descendants, biological links to his works," Katja stated with a sad tone.

"What do you mean?" Lahar inquired.

"It's our job to protect his legacy, for as long as we're still living." Katja replied. Suddenly numerous black markings appeared all over her body. "These crests symbolize that, out duty as well as our great curse." The markings faded away before the young girl looked away in sadness.

"I had no idea, I am deeply sorry for the burden you must carry. I can't even fathom it," Lahar said. "But your friends…they are neither alive nor dead. What happened to them?"

"Well, you see, whenever the Anti-Link has been activated, the Celestial Mage loses their biological link, then they fall into a petrified state where they fated to slumber for the next hundred years."

"What?!" Lahar gasped in shock. "They won't awake for a century?!"

"Yes, that is the fate for those who have failed to protect their link," Katja explained. "I had believed that me and my friends could uphold Neville's legacy but this Neo Oracion Seis have proven to be too great for us; one by one, all of my friends have fallen victim to the curse. I am all that's left, but soon, I will join them in their slumber."

"You shouldn't say that, there's still a chance for us to save you," Lahar said. "Listen, one of your friends, a Celestial Wizard by the name of Emily, she lost her link but she wasn't put into a deep slumber like the rest of your friends."

"Emily? I had heard that she was attacked but was still awake," Katja said. "I don't know why the curse didn't affect her, but it doesn't matter. Cause once my link is gone, she will witness this world's end while I will not."

"Haven't you been listening to you? We're going to let you fall victim to your curse! Me, Mest, Chief Tyson and Gohan, we're going to do all that we can to save you!" The Council Marshal finished the last seal completing his magic barrier. "There, the barrier is up, you'll be safe here until we return." Lahar then turned to leave the Celestial mage and her spirit alone.

"Are you going back?" Katja asked him.

"Yes. As much faith as I have in my friend, I still worry about him. He's been through a rough time and still regrets his past mistakes; now he's trying to make up for it by saving you." Lahar replied.

"I noticed, just please be careful and make sure you both com back alive." Katja requested.

"Don't worry, we don't plan on dying just yet." Lahar assured before running back to Katja's home.

The young Celestial mage looked up at the tree she gazed at some time ago and muttered "The end is near," she then looks out to the heavens and asked "Gohan, wherever you are, I hope you're alright."

Back at the Church hall, Mest Gryder was slammed into another wall by Racer. "Damn, this guy's much faster than I expected, and I get the feeling he's just toying with me," the Teleporter thought. The speed demon appeared above the councilman and cackled.

"Well this was fun, but I still have a mission, to destroy the vessel," Racer stated. "So, I'll make this quick." The Oracion then jumped at Mest to finish him off; suddenly, a chain of light wrapped itself around Racer's ankle, the Oracion looked back to see Lahar emitting the chain from his right palm before he was pulled back and tossed into the roof of the Katja's home. Lahar the retracted his chain and rushed over to help his friend up.

"Are you alright my friend?" Lahar asked him.

"Just a little banged up, but nothing serious," Mest. "Thanks."

Lahar nodded before looking over to see Racer slowly creeping towards them "Destroy…the vessel." He muttered.

"Just stay back and get some rest Mest, I'll handle this." Lahar told his friend.

"Lahar, no! This guy's no slouch! You won't stand a chance alone!" Mest warned him.

The Marshal of the Magic Council gave a small smile to his friend. "You haven't been around for seven years my friend, someone needed to step up and pick up the slack. Chief and his disciples weren't the only ones working harder than ever taking out dark guilds for the council…" He then threw off his cape and prepares himself for the fight by taking a fighting position and exerting a Magical aura. Racer then appeared in a blitz and tried to strike the Marshal with a right roundhouse kick. Lahar blocked it with his arms on time and parried another left roundhouse kick from the dark mage which made the ground break from the pressure twice. The bespectacled Rune Knight grabbed Racer by the leg and launched a powerful fire encased knee attack on the gut with a Magic circle, sending the speedster flying with a large explosion. Racer lands on his feet and growls as he grasped his abdomen in pain.

Mest stared at his partner in amazement as Lahar lowered his knee. "Whoa, Lahar, when did you get so tough?" he inquired.

"Like I said, you've been away from work for a while. A lot has happened over the years," Lahar replied. The Oracion and the Custody enforcer charged at each other; they clashed at incredible speed by FT universe standards, either reshaping or destroying the terrain as Lahar used his elemental magic to alter battlefield in an attempt to counter or limit Racer's unpredictable speed pattern. _"This is a result of my own training, for seven years I learned as much magic as I could while still serving the magic council."_ Lahar thought. _"Ever since the Tenrou Island incident where that Grimoire Heart member Azuma, annihilated my fleet with ease, I dedicated myself to acquiring new skills; from Martial Arts to Elemental Fist Magic for controlling the area to my advantage, to Chain Magic for apprehending criminals who resist arrest. And even though I wasn't chosen to be one of Chief Tyson's students, I did obtain some form of physical strength from his basic training programs and even learned to match speed mages to an extent. All of that hard work has prepared me…for moments like this!"_ Lahar then summoned his chains again, binding the Oracion and surprising him as he couldn't believe that anyone could catch him when he was moving at half his top speed; Lahar then dragged the speedster along the ground, making him eat dirt and creating small trenches. In Retaliation, Racer grabbed the chains and forcibly dragged Lahar right into him before dropkicking him with great fury.

Lahar was sent flying but he recovered and sideswiped his legs, creating fired blades in the air and immediately getting up back on his feet while launching the fire attack at towards Racer who dodged and noted of its sharpness that could have caused him some serious harm. Lahar continued to advance on the speed demon, attacking him with numerous punches and kicks powered by water, earth, fire or air magic; Racer swiftly evade every strike while dashing around the Marshal to try and find his blindspot. The demon finally managed to get the drop on his opponent by attacking him from the rear, only to be intercepted by a kick from the other Council officer Mest Gryder. Racer was sent flying into the already damaged church hall, going right through the wall with so much force that the building immediately crumbled and collapsed. "Oh geez, that was my bad. Guess I hit em much harder than I needed to." Mest said sheepishly.

"Don't worry Mest, I'm sure Zentopia will gladly accept the property bill as thanks for our services against the Neo Oracion Seis who already destroyed many of their church halls already." Lahar guaranteed.

"I hope so," Mest muttered. "The last thing I want is to be just like those Fairy Tail mages,"

At her location, Katja and Nico had just watched as her home was shattered into several pieces and reduced to rubble and wood; Nico moaned in sadness as his master petted his head. "It's ok Nico, it'll be alright," the celestial mage said to comfort her spirit friend.

The Oracion jumped out of the destroyed building and glared at the two Councilmen that were about to take him on together; The two Rune Knights charged again towards Racer and used teamwork and coordination to figure out Racer's pattern and match him. The two Rune Knights charged again towards Racer and used teamwork and coordination to figure out Racer's pattern and match him, Racer had to block and parry every attack made by the Dynamic Duo with their clashing speed. _"This is impossible! First that boy from Fairy Tail and now these two council slaves are able to keep up with my speed."_ He thought as avoided another attack from Lahar and blocked one from Doranbolt. _"I refuse to accept this!"_ Racer' bodysuit started glowing red again as he grabbed Mest and tossed him into the ground before stomping on his chest with both his feet; he then dashed towards Lahar and started rapidly striking him from all directions, making it hard for the Marshal to predict his movements. Lahar was suddenly knocked onto the ground flat on his stomach; he looked up to see the Oracion charging him with murderous intent. Lahar then placed his palms on the ground, making Racer trip with an earth attacks which allowed Doranbolt to throw an elbow drop on the Dark Mage, sending him crashing on the ground. Two large rock hands suddenly sprung from the earth and tried to squash the speed demon, Racer barely managed to avoid the attack but this once again left him open, letting Mest tackle him right back to the ground.

Creatively, Lahar combined fire and earth magic transforming the whole terrain into lava to deny Racer footing he needed to make his blitzing movement; he then combined air and water magic to form an enormous mist cloud to surround the fiery battlefield. With the mist limiting his vision and the lava preventing him from running anywhere he wanted, the Oracion found it difficult to evade his opponents or strike them back. The Speedster avoided most of the lava around while trying to escape the mist; he then jumped upward appearing above the mist to try and find an escape route. He was suddenly caught by a surprise attack from Doranbolt who kicked the Oracion around repeatedly in every direction with his Teleportation Magic, and finished him off with a dropkick and roundhouse kick combination, sending Racer plummeting into the fiery terrain hard. The resulting impact caused a medium combustion, which showed downed Racer in a crater with his body curled together **(A/N: The Yamcha Position.)**

"I think he's down for the count!" Mest stated before chuckling at the Oracion.

"What's funny?" Lahar questioned his friend.

"Nothing, just the way he looks right now." Mest replied.

"Let's just restrain quickly," Lahar suggested as he summoned his magic chain and sent then to bind the speed demon; before they could reach their target, Racer suddenly disappeared from the crater. The two officers looked over in surprise to see the enemy standing on all fours again. His bodysuit was glowing as a small veil slipped from his hand and hit the ground. "What was that? Did he drink something from that bottle?"

"Don't you think it's a little too early for you to be hitting the good stuff pal?" Mest asked. "Where were you keeping that anyway, your suit has no pockets?"

Racer replied with a roar as his body erupted in a pillar of Ki, causing the lava around him to dry up, the mist to disperse and the ground to crack from the pressure. The two Rune Knights shielded their faces from the force of Racer's power increase. "What is this power? It feels like magic but also…something else, something sinister." Lahar said from observing Racer's power increase.

"This doesn't look too good," Mest stated.

When the power boost stopped, Racer's body looked like it was vibrating constantly with streaks of dark lightning licking his body; the new Racer released such killer instincts as he gazed at his adversaries. Not wanting to give him the chance to attack, Lahar sent out his magic chains at the speed demon. Racer made no attempt to dodge as the chains simply went right through his body. Lahar and Mest stared at the Oracion in shock before the bespectacled Rune Knight tried again; no matter how many attacks he threw at Racer he still was unable to land a single hit on the Oracion. **(A/N: No, it's not intangibility, he's just moving to the side slight and too fast to see so that it looks like he's phasing through the attacks; if you've the Original DBZ series when Goku fought Burter and Jiece, you'll know what I mean.)** "I hope you're done, cause no it's my turn." Racer snarled, in a burst of speed, he rushed at the Rune Knights and struck them from all sides. Every punch, kick, and strike the speed demon gave the officers was faster than either of them could react to. Racer then grabbed and slammed Lahar and Doranbolt's heads together, giving them bloody noses before swinging them around so fast like a tornado and sending them crashing into the ground.

"Damn it, he's so much faster than before, it's unreal!" Mest thought as he teleported to try and surprise Racer. As he reappeared, Racer was standing behind him.

"What's the hurry? Going somewhere?" Racer asked mockingly. Mest disappeared again, but everywhere he went, Racer would always appear close by. Eventually when the two ended up back to back, Mest tried to punch Racer but he vanished from his sight; the councilman looked around in distraught. "What's the matter? Can't find me?!" Racer called out to the Rune Knight; Mest suddenly felt numerous fist strike him in the chest before being socked in the chin and collapsing on his back. Racer then appeared with his fist held out before glancing at it. "Heh, now this is true speed, I'm practically untouchable!"

The Oracion then noticed the Marshal standing on one knee and holding his hand out to him; he only smirked as he disappeared again then reappeared right in front of Lahar before striking him hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Lahar gasped for air before Racer struck him in the back of the head making him fall face first on the ground. "Incredible, I've been so fast in my life! No can ever see me when I'm running, let alone catch me! At this rate, I'll be the fastest for sure!" Racer boasts before he remembered his mission. "But even with this speed, I shouldn't waste anymore time, I have to destroy the remaining vessel! I doubt these two are n any shape to follow me and even if they did, they can't stop me! Now I just need to find the vessel, with my speed, scanning the area shouldn't take long! I'll find her in no time!" He then dashed off to look for the celestial wizard.

"Damn it, he's going after Katja!" Mest muttered as he staggered over to Lahar and picked him up. "Wow, he really did a number on you, even your glasses is cracked."

"You're one to talk, do you even have the strength to transport us to Katja?" Lahar asked weakly.

"Don't worry, I still have some juice left in me, maybe a few more jumps but if we hurry we might make it in time." Mest replied.

"Good, I'll direct you to where I left her. You should be able to get there despite the distance, now let's go!" Lahar said. The two quickly made their way towards the celestial mage with the hope that they could still save her from her fate.

* * *

With Android 13 and the Hatchiyak, the two mechanical fighters were still duking it out; the battlefield continuously rumbled and cracked from their power clash. The two then separated and stared at each other. Rancor then teleport in front of Tyson and struck him with his right arm before putting him in a strangle hold. "I've grown tired of toying with you Cyborg; it's time to deactivate permanently!" Rancor declared as channeled an electric current throughout his body. Tyson fought against zapping and used his elbow to bash Rancor in the gut before grabbing his head and tossing him away from; Tyson's eyes started glowing as he fired energy beams from them. Rancor countered by doing the same. The two beams clashed and pushed against each other; Rancor then put more power into his beams, gaining the upperhand. His beams over came Tyson's and blasted the Cyborg's body. As the Chief fell from the sky, Rancor grabbed him by the hair and started rapidly punching him; he then tossed the Red Ribbon Android downward and dove after him.

Rancor then grabbed Tyson and fly to the ground with him in his grasp. "It's time you went down and shut down Tyson!" he shouted as he released the Cyborg, sending him plummeting into the earth; Tyson's impact made an explosion that dug a large trench into the ground, all that could be seen was Tyson's right hand sticking out from underground. "Well, what a waste of technology but oh well, those who stand against the Tuffles will perish!" Rancor exclaimed. He then raised his hands above his head and formed a large pink sphere of Ki; Gohan watched as the Tufflebot prepared to toss his attack at Tyson, turning his crater into his grave.

" _Oh no, Tyson's in serious trouble! I've got to do something!"_ he thought as he tried to stand but collapsed onto his knees instantly _. "Damn it, I still haven't recovered from my fight with Rancor, but I can't just let this happen! I've got to move…come on body…whatever power I have left…bring it out!"_ The Demi Saiyan's body started emitting blue aura as he got to his feet and shouted "Haaah!"

"This is Goodbye Android!" Rancor yelled before his sensors started detecting a growing power signal; he looked over to where the Z Fighter should've been, only to find that he had vanished. "Where'd that Saiyan monkey run off to?!" His answer came to him in the form of a skull bash attack from the Son of Goku that sent him flying backwards; the Saiyan the fired an energy blast at Rancor's Ki sphere, detonating it so that the explosion consumed the Hatchiyak. Gohan looked over to at Tyson's crater in time to see the Cyborg emerge from it.

"Nice to have you back Tyson, I was worried you might've been broken." Gohan said.

"What in blazes are you doing city boy?!" Tyson asked. "I told you to let the Chief handle this!"

"Yeah well, I can't let someone else fight my battles for me, it kinda hurts my pride," Gohan replied with a smile.

Seeing his determination, Tyson smiled back at the Saiyan and said "Alright then city boy, since you can't sit still, what do ya say we take em out together?"

"Sure!" Gohan replied just as the Tufflebot appeared before them.

"What's this? The monkey and the Android wannabe have decided team up to take me!" Rancor stated. "It makes no difference, neither of you could defeat me alone, what makes you think you can do it together?"

"Guess we're about to find out won't we!" Gohan replied.

"Yes we will Saiyan," Rancor growled.

"Listen city boy, I know yer eager to throwdown, but you're banged up from your little go around with this metal man," Tyson said. "So we'll attack him at the same time, but whenever he retaliates, I'll act as a shield so that you don't take anymore damage!"

"Ok, now let's take him down!" Gohan said as he turned Super Saiyan. The two hybrids let out a furious battlecry as they charged at the Hatchiyak who wasn't fearful in the slightest. Both threw numerous blows at the machine but he blocked every single one of them; the two half humans then phased behind Rancor to strike his back, but he countered by elbow bashing both in the face. They flew backwards before catching themselves and jumping at the Hatchiyak again; Rancor dodged them by jumping upward and the two quickly jumped after him. Just as they were about to reach him, he fired two energy blast from his hands, one at Gohan and one at Tyson. The Saiyan and the Android managed to evade the blasts, allowing them to combust elsewhere. They landed on the ground and looked up but Rancor was nowhere in sight. "Where did he go?!" Gohan asked just before the robot appeared at his back.

"Right behind you," Rancor replied before kicking his foe in the back. Tyson rushed at the machine man but failed to land a hit as he was knocked away by a punch to the face. The two hybrid warriors got up from the ground and took their stances again. "Gonna try it again eh?" Rancor inquired. "It's futile!"

Gohan and Tyson charged at Rancor again, Gohan got to him first and tried to punch him. Rancor blocked the and attempted to kick the Saiyan but he disappeared and reappeared at his back where he kicked him over to Tyson who clamped his hands together and bashed the Tufflebot with them. Rancor quickly shook it off as his opponents came at him again; Gohan and Tyson attacked him from all sides, throwing every blow at him with everything they had. Rancor still managed to block their attacks but was caught off guard as Gohan struck him in the gut and Tyson kicked him in the chin; he had little time to recover as his enemies were still coming strong. Rancor remained on the defensive as he adversaries continued their relentless assault, they then palm struck him, punched him in the gut, elbow bashed him in the chin and finished their combined attack by flipping towards him and kicking him in the face with both feet. The Hatchiyak glared at the hybrids as they held their fighting stances.

" _What was that just now?! Their power levels suddenly sky rocketed?!"_ Rancor thought before he glanced at the Demi Saiyan a saw him taking deep breathes. _"Heh! It doesn't matter, the gas will kill that monkey, it's only a matter of time. I can handle a half machine abomination with ease."_ The war machine started emitting a green outline as he said "Not bad, half-breeds, let's see you do that again!" The three fighters resumed their battle; this time, Rancor was on the offensive, none of his opponents managed to land a single blow this time around. Rancor then charged his right fist with green energy and used it to punch Tyson in the cheek before kicking him in the gut and blasting him into the earth.

"Tyson!" Gohan cried before he went back to trading blows with the Hatchiyak; Rancor threw the same punch at the Saiyan but he quickly blocked it with both arms. Gohan then tried to kick Rancor but he disappeared only to appear in a second and elbow bash the Son of Goku in the chin before clamping his hands together and swinging them at Gohan, sending him hurling towards the ground. The Z Fighter groaned as he quickly stood and jumped back into to face the mechanical monster, he was quickly joined by Chief Tyson. "Doesn't look like we'll beat him with brute force alone, I don't suppose Dr. Gero gave a supercomputer brain that can come up with game winning strategies, did he?"

"Nah, the doc was too afraid of one of his kin growing smarter than him, but I do have an idea." Tyson replied. "I recall the mean green being you teacher, so I reckon you might know the little trick he used to kill yer paps and uncle."

"If you mean the Special Beam Cannon, then yeah I know. Why?" Gohan inquired.

"Cuz we're gonna do that, an attack like that should fry his circuits in a snap!" Tyson said.

"Ok, just one problem, at my current state, it'll take me some time to gather the energy needed to penetrate Rancor's armor." Gohan explained.

"That's why you got the Chief on your side," Tyson replied as he pointed to himself. "I'll keep metal man busy while you prepare your attack! Just don't keep me waiting too long city boy!"

"Just make sure you hold him off long enough," Gohan said back. "And do your best!"

"Alright then, let's go!" Tyson exclaimed before rushing at the Hatchiyak solo; the two mechanical fighters crossed arms as they traded blows. Gohan placed two fingers from his right hand to his forehead and concentrated most of his Ki into them. Rancor continuously beat Tyson senseless, but the Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement remained persistent and fought back in spite of the damage he took. Tyson then grabbed Rancor's arm and tossed him into the ground before firing a red energy blast at him; after the blast exploded, the Red Ribbon Android looked up to see the Tufflebot coming down on him. Rancor slammed into the Cyborg and smashed him into earth before placing his hands on his back and firing a massive green energy blast point blank on him. The Blast pushed Tyson deep underground and let out numerous beams of green light that shot into the heavens as it detonated.

"Now…to kill a monkey," Rancor muttered as he glanced at Gohan who was still charging his attack. The Hatchiyak flew towards the Saiyan noticed him coming right away. Rancor reared his fist back as Gohan stared at him with wide eyes full of fear; when he swung, his fist went right through the Demi Saiyan. "What?!" Rancor yelled before Gohan disappeared from his view. "An afterimage, so the monkey still has some tricks up his sleeve; but it won't be enough to save you from me!" He looked around and spotted Gohan still storing energy for his attack. Rancor charged at the Z Fighter again who just split himself into ten hims. Rancor simply smirked as he channeled Ki into his right hand and fired it upward; the Gohan barely managed to dodge the blast, but this left him open to Rancor personal strike. The Tufflebot kicked the Saiyan in the chest, Gohan shook it off, determined not to lose his focus on his attack. Rancor continued to throw multiple punches and kicks at Gohan, who was dodging and blocking every single one of them as much as he could, but with only one hand and half his focus on preparing the attack, he could do all that for so long. Rancor finally got a hit in when he punched Gohan in the gut and kicked him in the side; the Saiyan groaned in pain but still concentrated on his attack. "I have to admit I'm impressed. Your focus and endurance are incredible," Rancor commended his foe as he aimed his hand at him. "But this fight ends now!" He fired an energy blast at the Saiyan and it exploded on impact. Rancor smirked in triumph until the smoke cleared and he saw Gohan's left hand was out allowing him to generate an energy shield for protection.

" _Almost there…just a little bit longer,"_ Gohan thought.

"Hmm! Once again your resilience has proven to be your greatest strength Saiyan. However, now that you have that shield up, half your Ki and concentrated is focused on protecting yourself, which means it'll take you longer to charge your attack." Rancor stated as he prepared another energy blast. "I wonder how long you can keep this up in your condition," The Hatchiyak repeatedly fired blast after blast, each one colliding with Gohan's shield and dissipating; Gohan's started to twitch as he attempted to hold up his shield, and the more Rancor fired Ki blasts, the longer Gohan needed the shield for defense, and the more his left arm twitched. Eventually, Gohan's barrier changed from blue to red and after the final blast, the shield shattered and the Demi Saiyan was defenseless.

" _Just a little more…come on!"_ Gohan thought as he still focused on the attack.

"Say Goodbye Saiyan!" Rancor yelled as he charged to finish off the Saiyan child; suddenly, Tyson sprung out from underground and grabbed the Tufflebot in a full-nelson hold. "What?! You wretch! I thought I killed you!" Rancor yelled as he tried to get free.

"Heh! Alright city boy, metal man's not going anywhere, so hurry up and shoot him while you can!" Tyson said to Gohan.

"It's almost ready…just another second," Gohan said as he was nearly finished charging.

"Release me Cyborg! You can't seriously expect to hold me long enough for his attack to hit me!" Rancor said.

"What's the matter?! Afraid to die?! Now I didn't think machine was capable of fear!" Tyson mocked the robot.

"How can you be so foolish?! Have your own brain began to malfunction?! Don't you realize what will happen if his attack strikes me?!" Rancor inquired. "When that blast hits it's go right through the both of us, you'll be killed along with me!"

"I wouldn't worry about that. My reflexes will allow me to let go and dodge at the last second," Tyson assured. "Besides, even if I am hit, I won't keel over right away; I survive long enough for Jill to fix me up!"

"What is it with you and the rest of these earth-dogs?! First the Saiyan monkey tries to kill me by blowing himself up, then you sacrifice yourself just ensure my defeat! Can't you just accept your loss and die?!" Rancor questioned furiously.

"Tyson…" Gohan muttered just as he finished power up his attack. "Alright, it's ready!"

"Then what are you waiting for city boy?! Hit us with everything you've got!" Chief Tyson ordered.

"Right!" Gohan complied as he pointed his two fingers at the mechanical warriors and shouted **"Special Beam Cannon, Fire!"** A purple and gold spiraling beam attack shot out of Gohan's fingers and flew towards Rancor and Tyson; Rancor looked at the beam in horror before he suddenly smirked and flipped himself over, making it so that the beam was aimed right at Tyson's back. Instantly, Gohan reacted by bending his fingers, allowing him to redirect the beam at the last second to it just grazed the Cyborg's back as it sailed upward and blew up. Rancor then broke free from Tyson's grasp and grabbed him before tossing him into the Demi Saiyan; the two hybrids were sent plummeting towards the earth as Rancor fired multiple energy blasts at them. Gohan quickly put up another energy shield to protect himself and the Chief; Rancor didn't let up in his multiple blast barrage which began to overwhelm the Demi Saiyan. The Saiyan's barrier soon broke and Rancor fire a giant mega blast to finish off his foes; Tyson quickly put his own barrier to shield them, after the blast passed, the Demi Saiyan and the Cyborg separated and attacked the Tufflebot from his right and left side respectively.

Tyson threw a punch that was grabbed and Gohan threw punch that Rancor blocked with his knee. Tyson threw another punch but Rancor blocked it and slapped him aside; Gohan tried to kick the Hatchiyak twice but his strikes were blocked again. Rancor then proceeded to kick both hybrids in the head before Tyson retaliated by throwing another fist at him, only to be elbow bashed away. Gohan yelled as he tried to kick the robot again, but Rancor grabbed his and punched him away. Gohan quickly caught himself in the air before charging at the machine one more time along with Chief Tyson. Rancor grabbed both their fists and threw them towards the earth before firing numerous energy blasts at them; the hybrids evaded the energy attacks and flew across the battlefield to escape the onslaught. Rancor eventually lost sight of the two when the area became covered with dust; the two fighters suddenly jumped out of the smoke and fired a double burning blast attack. Rancor held out his hands, creating a kiai that stopped the blasts before they reached him, dispersed them into multiple smaller blasts and repelled back to their senders. The hybrids stared at the Hatchiyak with surprised looks as they were pelted by their own energy attacks. Rancor laughed maniacally as the whole arena was set ablaze from his devastating power. After it ended, Tyson flew up and punched Rancor in the face just before Gohan kicked him in the back.

The Demi Saiyan and the Cyborg back away from the Tufflebot, Gohan was breathing very heavily as he was running low on Ki; Rancor smirked at the Son of Goku's current state while Tyson frowned. _"Damn it, city boy's energy is incredibly low, and still dropping. At this rate, he's not gonna last long."_ The Chief thought.

"What's the matter monkey? Getting tired?" Rancor asked mockingly to Gohan. "You look like you're about to pass out."

Gohan gave a goofy grin to the Tufflebot before saying "I can…do this…all day. Guess you're…Destron gas…won't be enough…to stop me!"

"So you say, but even if you can go on forever, I'm afraid your little friend will not last that long," Rancor said.

"What are you talking about?" Gohan inquired.

"That Celestial mage the two of you were protecting, by now comrade Racer's tracked her down and is about do to her what the Neo Oracion Seis did to the others." Rancor explained.

"You're wrong metal man, specs and his friend will keep the little lady safe." Tyson argued.

"I suppose you'd be right if it were not for a few things,' Rancor replied. "First, me being here was nothing more than a means to draw the two of you away from the girl. We were aware that none of the Neo Oracion Seis would be capable of taking on either of you, let alone the both of you at the same time; so I was tasked with getting the two of you as far away from the girl as possible and to keep you occupied long enough for the link to be severed,"

"Lahar and Mest are still there, they can protect Katja!" Gohan said.

"Ah, but there's something Racer has that gives him the advantage over your allies…the combat drug!" Rancor told them.

"Combat drug?" Gohan asked.

"A special serum I created that not only increases the drinker's magic and physical prowess but it also awakens their inner Ki reserves and fuses it with their magic power." Rancor clarified. "Simple strategy worthy of a Tuffle, divide and conquer. With it as his trump card, Racer will your friends and take what he wants from the Celestial mage and once you're out of the way, no one will be able to stop me!"

" _No…it can't be true,"_ Gohan thought as he closed his eyes; he couldn't sense Katja's Ki but he could sense Racer's moving around rapidly. His eyes shot open when he sensed how low Lahar and Mest's energy was. _"Oh no, Lahar and Mest…both their energies are almost at zero and Racer's has risen dramatically. This bad, if he finds Katja, they might not be able to stop him!"_

"Ah, I can tell from the look on your face that you sense my words are the truth, Saiyan." Rancor said. "So you know your celestial mage doesn't have long to live."

Gohan glanced over to Chief Tyson who gave him a look that said he could sense the same thing. "Well, what are you waiting on city boy? Go on, get! Make sure them Indians and the little lady are doing fine! I'll keep metal man busy and catch up, no high tail it out of here!" the Cyborg instructed.

"Right! And Tyson…thanks!" Gohan said before dashing off to save the celestial mage.

Rancor shook his in disappointment "Saiyans, such miniscule minded monkeys, falling for the same trick twice…divide and conquer." He stated.

"So why'd you let city boy go? Too afraid to take us both on, thinking we actually beat you?" Tyson asked.

"You know as well as I do that the Saiyan was weakening as the battle dragged on, thanks to my Destron gas he is no longer strong enough to pose a threat to me." Rancor replied. "As for why I didn't stop him…I have my reasons. But enough about that, I believe we were going to continue fighting."

"So eager to get your metal ass whooped? Then I'll be happy to oblige!" Tyson said as he took his stance; in his mind, he was thinking. _"I can't take this guy alone; he's a lot tougher than I am. I might have to go big blue chief to stand a chance…but that forms solely devoted to Gero's mental programming and I've never used it here before. I'll just have to stall until Goku's kid comes back."_ The two mechanical fighters bashed into each other and resumed their battle.

* * *

Elsewhere, Katja and Nico were still waiting for their protectors to return from battle; Nico continued to groan as his master held him in her arms to comfort him. "Don't worry Nico, I'm sure Gohan and the others will return soon," She promised her friend. "But if you're scared, you can run away you know. I want you to be safe Nico." The celestial spirit shook its head in protest which made Katja smile sadly. "Thank you Nico, you've always been by my side. I hope that we'll be together forever." The mage then gasped when she saw the Oracion appear right in front of her.

"There's no where you can hide that I won't find you!" Racer said. "Now, to destroy the vessel!" Racer then charged towards Katja, only to crash right into the Jutsu Shiki barrier, sliding down it like a cartoon character. Katja couldn't help but giggle at the comical scene but stopped herself shortly due to how scary the dark mage looked as he glared at her even though she is safe behind the barrier. "I'm glad you got a laugh out of that, cause when I'm through with you, you won't be laughing for quite a while." Racer declared as he reared his fists back and started rapidly punching at the barrier; his numerous pounding at the shield caused it to shake violently, Katja held her pet tightly as she closed her eyes in fear. Eventually, the Shiki barrier began to crack until it Racer poured Ki into his left fist and struck the barrier shattering it completely. Katja stared at the Oracion in horror as she grinned wickedly at her; just as he about to grab her he was suddenly tackled to the ground by an injured Mest.

"Mest!" Katja cried with joy until she saw his condition. "You're hurt!"

"Forget about! Run while you still can!" Mest shouted to her. "Lahar, now!"

The bespectacled Rune Knight wrapped his chains around the mage and spirit and began to carry them away. "Get off me!" Racer yelled before he donkey kicked the Teleporter of him into a tree; Mest fell unconscious on the ground and Racer jumped towards his prey. He ran right through the magic chain, severing it with ease.

"No!" Lahar cried before he was bashed in the back by the Oracion and knocked onto the ground; Racer then grabbed Katja and pinned her to a tree, holding her by the neck. Nico jumped to help his friend but was swatted away into another tree where his nose got stuck.

A red crystal dagger appeared in Racer's hand as he said. "Once I perform the amplitude limiter anti-link, you're pain will end!" The celestial mage trembled as the blade was pointed close to her neck.

" _This is it, I knew this day would come."_ Katja thought as she closed her eyes. Racer drew his blade back and prepared to strike when and energy blast was fired at him; he jumped away, evading the blast which struck a tree and knocked it over.

"What was that?!" Racer asked before he was kicked in the face by the Son of Goku. The Oracion landed on his back as the Z Fighter landed beside the celestial mage before falling to his knees in exhaustion.

"Gohan!" Katja cried as she ran to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks." The Saiyan replied as his haired changed from gold to black.

"You were hurt badly, you almost died…because of me." Katja said sadly as tears formed in her eyes.

"Hey, don't be sad. I said we'd protect you. As long as you're ok, these wounds aren't a big deal." Gohan said. He then grew alert when he saw Racer get back on his feet.

"You again," Racer growled.

" _Damn, that last attack used all of my remaining power; at this point the energy I have left to fight with is my own life force and this gas slowly killing me isn't helping."_ Gohan thought as he slowly stepped in front of Katja. _"Maybe I can still win this; I have to protect Katja no matter what! I won't let these guys hurt her!"_

"Carnage…destruction!" Racer exclaimed. "I must destroy the vessel, no matter who stands in my way!"

"Then what are you waiting for?! Come get some!" Gohan challenged the Oracion. Racer charged at the Demi Saiyan; Gohan ducked his strike and tried to kick him but he disappeared. Gohan immediately faded away to chase after him. The two appeared and disappeared continuously while trying to strike each other. Suddenly, the Z Fighter was knocked onto the ground; he quickly got up and tried to sense the dark mage. The Son of Goku was struck many times before falling flat on his stomach just as Racer appeared before him.

"What's the matter boy? You're much slower than the last time!" Racer stated.

" _Damn, I can still sense him but I can't react fast enough,"_ Gohan thought as he got to his feet. _"He's much faster than he was in the tomb; guess Rancor's combat drug isn't all talk. At this point, I only have one more trick up my sleeve,"_ The Demi Saiyan ran around the Oracion before splitting into seven images of himself. Racer just stared at the afterimages with a neutral expression.

"This trick again huh," He muttered before smirking. He then disappeared and few seconds later, reappeared with his foot in the half Saiyan's chest; Gohan slid across the ground before grasping his chest in pain. Racer then appeared in front of him and said "I'll show you how it's done." Five cackling Racers suddenly appeared and circled the Saiyan who stood up and scanned for the real one.

" _I can't even sense him anymore!"_ Gohan thought. He was then struck by multiple punches from Racer who finished the assault with one final super punch. Gohan fell on his back and struggled to get up again. _"I felt Ki behind that last blow,"_

"Stay down boy! I have unfinished business with the girl," Racer said before dashing at Katja and pinned her to the tree again. "Now, where were we miss?" he asked as he brought out his red dagger again.

"Katja…no," Gohan said weakly as he tried to stand.

The celestial mage looked over at the Z Fighter and gave a small smile. "It's alright Gohan, I always knew this was going to happen. You did your best, thank you. Just please, don't forget me." She pleaded before closing her eyes.

"No…stop!" Gohan ordered as he got to his knee. "Leave her…ALONE!" With whatever strength he could muster, the Demi Saiyan jumped towards the speed demon with his body surrounded by Ki. Just as Racer was about to stab the girl, Gohan skull bashed him in the chest, throwing him off and causing the blade to graze her right arm; the two men fell to the ground before glaring at each other.

"You little brat!" Racer growled. Just before he could attack the half Saiyan, a crimson red flash of light caught their attention. The two Rune Knights woke up and saw the bright light as it expanded; when the light died down, the Rune Knights and the Z Fighter were still there but the Oracion was nowhere in sight.

"What just happened?" Lahar questioned.

"Beats me, but I could really use a drink right now," Mest replied before he noticed the Saiyan. "Hey, you alright kid?"

"I'll be fine, but where's Racer?" Gohan asked.

"He's gone." Lahar replied.

"Oh no, Katja!" Gohan cried as he sensed her Ki; he turned around to see the celestial mage lying on the ground with her markings revealed. _"But how? I didn't see her get stabbed!"_ Gohan thought as he approached before he saw the scratch on her arm. _"That dagger must've cut when I attacked that guy."_ The Son of Goku started shaking the celestial mage in an attempt to wake her up. The three were completely unaware of the speed demon that was watching them from a nearby boulder.

"Heh, the Anti-link has been completed." Racer chucked.

* * *

At Kardiac Cathedral, the leader of the Neo Oracion Seis and Zentopia's impenetrable fortress of war were still battling in the underground tomb while the Indian Knight and the fairies watched; while they were going at it, the eyes of the horse statues in the tomb began to glow, getting their attention. Midnight immediately basked and started laughing in triumph "Ah, the celestial wizard anti-link has been completed!" he announced before he glanced at Will Neville's coffin. "This means there's only one thing left to do." Brain II focused Ki into his left fist along with his dark magic; with one swing, he struck the casket of Will Neville, shattering the barrier around as well as the casket itself, exposing the celestial mage's corpse.

Centurion stared at the Oracion leader in shock. "Impossible, he destroyed the perfect shell with one blow!"

"Their body links have all been severed! Oh, great Neville, the amplitude limiters have finally been released!" Midnight stated as Will Neville's skull began to levitate. The same marking that Katja had appeared on the skull before they disappeared and Midnight shattered the skeleton head. "Now nothing stands in the way of your nightmare!"

" _This is bad! If his work here is done, it means that he and his comrades might have gotten to every last Celestial wizard linked to Will Neville!"_ Weinheidt thought.

At that moment, the Son of Brain turned and started to walk away from his foes. "Hey you, hold on! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Centurion asked the dark mage.

Midnight looked and replied "My business here is over. Now I'm going to regroup with my comrades and ensure that the reality of the real nightmare comes to pass. Now that the Infinity Clock is fully under our command, the end is finally within our grasp!"

"Did you really think that I would just let you walk out of here?!" Centurion inquired as he pointed his sword at the Oracion leader. "My mission is to take you down, and I intend to carry it out!"

"Heh! So, you're still planning to resist me?" Midnight asked as he faced the Machias. "Well, we can't have that can we?" The dark mage started releasing a massive amount of power that started to shake the tomb.

" _Whoa, this guy's power just increased again! I'm not sure I wanna see what he plans to do with it,"_ the hunter thought.

"What are you up to now?!" Centurion asked.

"You'll see." Midnight said while smirking wickedly.

"I don't think I wanna wait to find out!" Centurion stated as he pointed his right hand at the dark mage, shifting it into his signature cannon; his magic started gathering the cannon. **"Bolter Cannon!"** He shouted as he fired a massive blast of magic power at the Oracion.

Midnight simply held out his hand, halting the attack and redirecting it to the Machias; it struck his right shoulder, severing his arm off. Many sparks of electricity came out of his body as his bolter cannon fell to the ground before him. "I think it's time to end this before it gets out of _hand_." Midnight joked. He then spun his hands in a circular motion while channeling magic in them. **"Genesis Zero!"** He slammed his hands together; numerous wailing souls suddenly sprung out and started surrounding Centurion, Weinheidt and the Fairies. "Now open, portal of the demon's wail!"

The four were shocked as the wailing souls began swarming them and dragging towards an open hole. "What the hell is this?!" Centurion asked.

"What's happening?!" Weinheidt questioned.

"Go forth travelers of the void! I want you to consume their souls, their memory, consume their very existence! Devour them for the sake of your master!" Midnight ordered. The souls obey as the consume there four pulling them closer and closer into the void; at the last second, Centurion grabbed Weinheidt, Bisca, and Alzack and tossed them out of the river of wailing souls. The three landed on a ledge and watched in horror as Zentopia's Machias was swallowed up the souls and fell into the void before it closed shut, trapping him. "Now, you are forever trapped with the darkness!" Midnight said before he disappeared from the tomb.

"That Centurion…he saved us." Bisca stated.

"Yeah he did, but he couldn't save himself," Alzack said. "And now he's gone."

"There's no time to dwell on that now," Weinheidt declared. "We have to get back to the guild hall and report to the others before figuring out what our next move is!" The Fairies went over to the Machias' severed arm cannon and picked it up; they nodded in agreement and hurried back to their guild with the Indian Knight.

* * *

Inside the void, Centurion floated aimlessly through a dark gray space, incapable of moving. His body started to slowly disintegrate due to the pressure from the void. "Heh! Fool, this place can't consume me! I don't soul, and my existence is for the sake of serving the Archbishop! As long as Zentopia needs my power to protect it's teachings I …will…never…die…" The Machias then closed its eyes as it slowly deactivated; its body was then teleported out of the void instantly.

The Centurion appeared in a strange laboratory within the grand Cathedral of Zentopia, missing both his legs and his right arm; as he remained inactive, someone entered the lab, the current head of Zentopia, Cardinal Lapointe. "So, you've failed your mission Centurion. Well, I suppose it depends on how you look at it, from my perspective, you've succeed in casting the illusion that Zentopia is trying to the activation of the Infinity Clock! But to you and your comrades, you've failed to prevent the Neo Oracion Seis from gaining full control of it!" the Cardinal said with a stern look on his face. "Not that you were suppose to succeed, the combat drug made sure of that! But don't worry, you'll soon have a new mission, and I assure you, this one will indeed be much easier to complete!" The Cardinal's face changed into an evil grin as he gazed at the deactivated Machias, he then glanced outside to watch as the flying Infinity Clock started sprouting out magic chains that attached themselves to the ground, his grin growing more sinister.

* * *

Back with Gohan, the Demi Saiyan was still trying to wake the Celestial mage, but to no avail. "Come on, Katja! Wake up, please!" he pleaded to the girl. _"Oh no, her life force is getting weaker,"_ he thought. _"No, I can't let anyone else die1 I have to do something!"_ The Z Fighter placed his hands on the girl's stomach and started emitting Ki; his energy then traveled down his arms and started entering Katja's body.

"What are you doing?!" Mest asked the boy.

"I'm sharing my life force with her! Maybe it'll stop her curse!" Gohan answered.

"Will that really work?" Lahar questioned.

"I don't know, I gotta try!" Gohan said as he continued to give her more energy; he finally stopped and fell on his hands while breathing hard. "I think that did it, her life force has stopped decreasing."

"Are you ok boy?" Lahar asked.

"Yeah, just need a while before my energy can be restored." Gohan said.

"Look, she's waking up!" Mest announced.

The Celestial mage opened her eyes and sat up. "Katja, you're awake. I'm so glad you're alright." The Saiyan said.

"Yes I'm fine. But what about you?" she asked him.

"Don't worry about me, I'm ok." Gohan replied.

"Can you tell us what just happened?" Mest asked.

"The Anti-link was activated, I can no longer feel the biological link anymore." Katja explained as Gohan and Mest helped her up. "But it seems my curse didn't take effect,"

"Are you sure? Cause it looks as though you've lost your magic power." Lahar said as he glanced to his right. The other looked his way and saw what he meant; Nico was standing and waving to Katja while his body started to fade away.

"What's happening to Nico?" Gohan asked.

"Since I don't have any magic power, I can no longer keep his gate open. He's returning to the celestial spirit world." Katja answered before addressing her friend. "Nico, thanks for everything you've done for me. I'll never forget you or the others, I swear!" The spirit answered back with his usual groan which only the former mage understood and replied "Yes, you're right; and it won't be in a hundred years. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

"So you can understand him?" Mest asked.

"Kinda, I can only catch a little bit here and there but, I'm pretty sure he's saying thanks for helping to Gohan." Katja said to the Teleporter who had his hand on her shoulder. "And to you, he says get your paw off her."

"Oh, my bad," Mest said as he complied.

"One more thing, he says he's glad I have a friend like Gohan to look after me for him," Katja said.

"I assume this means you're no longer a Celestial wizard." Lahar said to which Katja nodded.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault. If I'd been stronger I could've defeat Rancor and Racer before now. You wouldn't have lost your magic or your friend. I couldn't protect you," the half Saiyan said sadly.

"No, you're wrong. You did protect me, from a horrific curse. You all did." Katja said as she smiled gratefully at the Z Fighter. "If it wasn't for what you did, I'd be as good as dead now. So thank you, you saved my life. You're my hero and a great friend."

Gohan looked at her in surprise before smiling back. "You're welcome, and thanks." The Saiyan then sensed something ominous and looked up as did his companions; they observed as the sky grew dark red and storm clouds began to form. "What in the world?!"

* * *

In another location, Wendy, Jillian, Bickslow had managed to help Erigor regain his memory; after he explained how he gained new power but was controlled by the Oracion Seis through his dreams the Fairies realized that their fortune telling guildmate also being manipulated due to the fact that she had been sleeping a lot lately and that she might've been used to pick teams that worked in the dark mages' favor. They then looked up and saw a giant stone fish swimming the skies above them. "Oh no, the Infinity Clock has been released." Wendy stated.

"What? That can't be it! It's way too big!" Bickslow argued.

"That is indeed the Infinity Clock," Erigor confirmed. "It was hidden above the grand Cathedral of Zentopia."

"Great, now what?" Bickslow asked.

Jillian held out her hand and released her threads of Ki that restrained the former Grim Reaper. "You two head back to the guild hall and join up with the rest of you guildmates!" she instructed. "I have to take this guy back to the council prison and report to the council! I'll catch up with you later!" And with that, she flew off into the air with Erigor in her custody.

* * *

With Natsu and Lucy, the Fairies as well as Lord Byro and Michelle witnessed the numerous chains from the Infinity Clock going into the earth. "Oh great, now what?!" the Dragon Slayer inquired.

"It would appear that the Infinity Clock has been activated." Byro stated.

"Oh no! We've got to find a way to stop it!" Lucy said.

"I'm afraid…I cannot help you with that!" Byro told them. "I've been ordered to take you to the Cardinal, Lucy Heartfilia."

"What?!" Natsu questioned.

"Why now all of a sudden?!" Lucy asked. "What could he possibly want with me?!"

"I don't quite understand it myself, but it's my duty to follow orders so please cooperate." Byro requested to the Fairies.

"You're not taking here anywhere!" Natsu said.

"I couldn't care less about your orders! Look at that thing in the sky, we can't afford to waste anymore time!" Lucy urged him. "I know you're just trying to do the right thing but deep down you have to know that's not it!"

The Legion leader seemed hesitant at first before replying "No, I don't."

"Byro, you're only making this harder on yourself by thinking," a voice said getting the mages' attention; they looked over to the downed Jackpot who squirming. The zipper on its face opened and a skull with an orb in its mouth on a stick popped out. "Why are you hesitating? Simply remain faithful to the doctrine and carry out your orders!"

"Not you again!" cried Lucy.

"It's that creepy talking stick!" Natsu said.

"My name is Klodoa, I am the seventh member of the Oracion Seis, otherwise known as the brains of the operation. You remember don't you?" the stick spoke to Natsu and Lucy.

"The seventh member? Wait a minute…" Lucy said as she remembered seeing only Angel, Brain II, Cobra, Racer, and Grim reaper from the Oracion Seis; aside from Jackpot and Rancor, there were only five members. "Are you short a person?"

"There's no need to hide the truth any longer, the time has come to reveal yourself!" Klodoa said to Michelle. "Shed that disguise you've been wearing and show these friends of yours who you really are!" The Fairies glanced back at Lucy's sister who still kept her neutral expression.

"Who? Michelle?! That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Lucy denied the stick's words. "If you're trying to confuse me it won't work this time stickman! That girl is Michelle Lobster, she's like family! She's my sister! She traveled all over to find me and give my father's memento! She's all the family I've got now that he's gone." When the girl in question didn't answer the celestial mage approached and held her hand in comfort. "Don't worry, I won't fall for his tricks, I know better than to believe anything that creep has to say." Michelle still gave no response but just turned away. "Hey what's wrong?" Lucy asked her. "Michelle, please tell me it's not true. Please."

Michelle's face grew sadden and Lucy stepped back from her; the girl began to shed tears before saying "I'm sorry I hurt you…big sister," Her body started glowing as she took on a new appearance; she wore a short, strapless shirt made entirely of dark green petals, long, dark green gloves that reached the top of her arms adorned with light green thorny vines, a short wide skirt made of dark green petals that point sideways, and pouch-like boots. Her right eye was covered by a rose eye patch while her left one held the symbol of the six demons before shifting into a blue iris. "You see, I truly am a member of the Neo Oracion Seis!" she revealed. "The Mistress of deception, they call me Imitatia." Lucy started at her sister full of hurt as tears formed in her eyes. "We needed you and your friends to gather the parts of the Infinity Clock and assemble it for us; that's why I took the form of Michelle Lobster, it was the only way I could earn your trust."

"How could you be so cruel? I treated you like family," Lucy wept to the deceiver.

"We're willing to do whatever it takes to emerge victorious. We attacked the churches in order to sever all known body links, thereby releasing the seal on the Infinity Clock. Now that that goal has been achieved." Imitatia explained as she held her hand out to Lucy. "You are the only one who is still needed…big sister Lucy."

"What's gotten into you?" the Celestial mage asked as she approached the sixth Oracion. "Wait I know, they must be controlling you with a spell. Don't worry, I'll help you!" She reached for Imitatia's hand before she was pulled back by Natsu.

"Stay away from her!" the Dragon Slayer instructed as he glared at the imposter; his fist lit on fire as he prepared to protect his friend. "So you were lying to us the whole time Michelle?!" he asked her.

"That's not my name," Imitatia replied as she held up her left hand and conjured a flower shaped shield/blade with the mark of the Oración Seis; the petal start to rotate like a buzzsaw as the dark mage is about to fight.

"ANSWER ME!" Natsu ordered as he jumped to strike her.

"No, stop!" Lucy cried, making her friend cease his attack abruptly; this however left him open to Imitatia's attack. The Salamander was struck in the face by the Oracion's flower shield and sent flying.

"A critical hit right off the bat! That's my girl!" Klodoa commended the deceiver.

"Byro," Imitatia addressed to the Legionnaire. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the orders Lapointe gave you. Take Lucy Heartfilia back to him at once!"

"You are in no position to tell me what to do! My loyalty lies with the church of Zentopia…" the Legion leader was interrupted when something smacked him in the face; a gold seal with Zentopia's emblem fell onto the ground before Lord Byro who stared at it in disbelief. "That belongs to the Archbishop!"

"Whoever holds his gold seal has the same authority as the Archbishop himself." Klodoa revealed.

"From this point forward, my goals and the Archbishop's are one and the same!" Imitatia stated. "Now, take Lucy Heartfilia to the Cardinal!"

Lord Byro makes no move as he begins to ponder on what he should do.

" _So you and your buddies are prepared to sacrifice your lives for your mission, huh? Life ain't something you just toss aside like garbage, you should protect it! We fight for the lives of the people we call our friends! Don't you know that friends aren't slaves or tools?! YOU CAN'T JUST USE THEM HOWEVER YOU PLEASE, THEY'RE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT!"_

" _Don't you care that people are suffering because of your mission?! Are you that heartless?!"_

" _You claim to be doing this for the greater good, but where's the good in causing pain and suffering just to follow a simpler order?! Are you so ready to pierce your allies as well as the innocent?! You believe what you're doing is righteousness, but in truth, you're just as wrong as you claim us to be!"_

" _Any path that hurts the innocent will never lead to the greater good; in fact, it's nothing but a dead end! If you're willing to follow that path, then what does it say about you?!"_

" _All the suffering, all the chaos we've caused on our mission, that isn't what the Legion Platoon or Zentopia stands for! We should be protecting the weak; instead of breaking them down, we should be building them up and showing them the way! What's righteous about slaughtering our flock? Don't you see? It is hypocrisy, and I simply can't abide it any longer! If the arrow must pierce through the hearts of lost lambs in order to find what is right, then it's wrong, and it should be snapped in pieces!"_

The words of Natsu, Lucy, Gohan, Happy and even his former subordinate Coco respectively played in his head, making him question all that he has done until this moment. He closed his eyes as he continued to think about the situation.

"Why are you just standing there?!" Imitatia questioned the Legionnaire. "By the order of the Archbishop, I demand that you take Lucy right now!"

The Legion leader opened his eyes and gave his answer. "No."

"What was that?" Imitatia asked him.

"I will not do as you command," Byro replied.

"What?! Why not?! Have you forgotten where your loyalty lies?! Are you turning your back on Zentopia's doctrines?!" Klodoa questioned.

"No, I will never turn my back on Zentopia. Up until now, I didn't understand why these guild members were so opposed to my actions, but now I do. All I've done is blindly follow the orders I've been given without question, and that has led to the current distress the world is in. By allowing the Neo Oracion Seis to manipulate us, my comrades and I have brought about the holy war we intended to prevent, but no more." Byro said solemnly. "I will no longer follow orders while ignoring my conscience and disregarding the lives of others. My mission is what I decide it to be, and since stopping the Infinity Clock is of utmost importance…"The Legion Platoon commander took a stance as he glared at Imitatia. "Taking you down will act as the first step to doing so!"

"You really intend to stop us? Seems like you've forgotten who the pawns are and who the players are in this game of chess!" Klodoa said.

"So, now even you question your doctrines." The deceiver said as she pulled out a sword from her flower shield. "If wish to oppose us, is no longer of use to us! Anyone who stands in the way of our goal...must be destroyed!" The Mistress of deception threw her razor flower shield at the Legionnaire who blocked it with his staff; Imitatia then retracted her shield and rushed at Byro with her sword. The Legion commander waved his staff, causing both weapons to disappear from Imitatia's hands.

"Even though you've been acting as one of these guild mages you still believed you could defeat me with magic despite seeing that I can nullify all magic." Byro said; he then struck Imitatia with his staff, elbow bashed her and kicked her away. "Surrender, and face the consequences of your actions!"

Imitatia shakes off the assault and gazes at Byro. "I refuse to let anything stand in the way of my goal." She said as she pulled out a veil from in between her breast; the deceiver opened the small bottle and gulped down the red liquid in it. Her body was surrounded by a red outline before exploding in a pillar of crimson light. Byro shielded his eyes from the bright display; when it died down, Imitatia stood before him, channeling a fiery aura.

"What did you just do?! What was that?!" Byro inquired.

"A little gift from the mechanical slave Rancor, a combat drug that enhances my physical abilities and enables me to use the same powers as Gohan." She explained, to prove her point she held out her hand to the Legionnaire and fired a kiai, blowing the man a few feet away. Byro growled before charging at the Oracion and trying to hit her with a few blows; Imitatia blocked them easily before kicking him away. She then fired an energy blast that Byro tried to nullify but couldn't and quickly dodged by rolling out of the way.

" _She truly can use the same power as that boy from Fairy Tail,"_ Byro thought. _"However, I cannot afford to back down now!"_ Byro jumped high above Imitatia and held up his staff while imbuing it with Magic power to form a huge ornate warhammer. **"Divine Hammer!"** He exclaimed as he brought his weapon down on the deceiver; the impact created a huge explosion of white light. When it passed, Byro was surprised to see his intended target had blocked the attack with both her arms. _"Impossible, she managed to stop one of my divine attacks with just her arms!"_ Byro thought before he was struck in the face by a fist from the Mistress of deception, followed by a kick to his abdomen and a blast that knocked him onto his back. Byro got to his knees and groaned in pain as he gazed at the dark mage. _"I cannot let this demon defeat me! I must make up for the great sins that the Legion Platoon have committed on behalf of Zentopia!"_ he thought as he focused his magic power into his right fist. **"Divine Fist!"** He sucker punched the sixth Oracion in the face; she merely looked at him nonchalantly. Byro stepped back in shock before Imitatia struck him in the gut with a Ki charged punch then in the face with the same attack. The Legion Commander fell unconscious on his back as the deceiver stood over him.

"This is the fate for all those who stand in the way of our goal," Imitatia said as she stepped on Byro's chest armor, cracking it. "And those who try to get between me and my sister." She held her left hand over his head and prepared to fire a Ki blast at it.

"NO!" Lucy cried as she grabbed her Fleuve d'etoiles, wrapped it around her sister's hand and pulled, making the blast miss the Legionnaire. "Michelle, why?"

"Big sister, why did you stop me? This man is trying to take you from me." Imitatia said with no emotion. "Do you not want for us to be together?"

"No, I…" Lucy started to say as she pulled her whip back. "Michelle please, just talk to me. We can work this out," The Celestial mage walked towards the deceiver and offered her hand to her. "I don't wanna fight my sister,"

"I do not wish to fight you either…" Imitatia said as she held out her hand as though she was going to accept her sister's; Lucy eyes grew wide as the Oracion struck her in the gut and she collapsed onto the floor unconscious. "But I can't allow you to stop me,"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Natsu shouted **"Fire Dragon Talon!"** The Salamander brought his flaming foot down on the dark mage who blocked it with her arms. "I'm not letting you take Lucy away Michelle!" he declared as he back away.

"Even after I told you the truth you both continue to deceive yourself," Imitatia said. "I told you that's not my name. I am Imitatia."

"I don't care who you are, you're gonna pay for lying to my friends, especially Lucy!" Natsu said as he jumped at the Oracion with his fire fist; he was surprised though when his attack was blocked by her flower shield, but he didn't have time to register it as he was suddenly wrapped by numerous thorn vines. "What the?!"

"One thing I've learned from my time with the Neo Oracion Seis is that I'm not the only one who deceives my big sister, you've also cast an illusion over her eyes, Salamander!"

"Oh yeah, how's that?!" Natsu inquired as he struggled to get free.

"You keep promising to protect her, but it's because she's always around you that she ends up in situations that nearly lead to her death!" Imitatia accused the Fire Dragon. "Phantom Lord, Nirvana, Tenrou Island, even Fairy Tail itself has endangered big sister's life! All of you act as her family but you so willingly bring her into harm's way!"

"That's not true!" Natsu argued. "Lucy wanted to join Fairy Tail, and she goes with us on those dangerous jobs to help people! We do our best to protect her and she does the same for us!"

"You're trying to deceive me, but the Oracion Seis revealed the truth to me!" Imitatia stated as the Dragon Slayer cried out from the intense she started to cause him. "I'm the only one who can protect big sister Lucy, and with the Neo Oracion Seis and the Infinity Clock, I can now fulfill my wish!" She then struck the Son of Igneel in the gut with a punched before kicking him in the chin. "Your time of influencing Lucy is over! Big sister and I will be together forever!" She struck Natsu wither razor flower shield and slammed him into the ground where he was knocked out. "I will make sure that you never put big sister in danger again!" She declared as she approached Natsu and grasped him by the throat; Imitatia looked over to the damaged church hall before tossing him towards it and preparing an energy blast with her right hand. "Goodbye, Salamander." She bid her foe as she fired a red Ki blast at the church hall, it made impact and blew the building from the inside, causing it to collapse onto the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Ha, ha! Atta girl! Excellent work killing the Dragon Slayer!" Klodoa commended the deceiver.

"He was in my way, but now he's out of big sister's life forever!" Imitatia said.

"Hmm, I thought there was suppose to be three of them here, did the other one escape?" Klodoa pondered before he looked over and noticed something else. "Wait a minute, now Byro's fled as well. Must've happened when you were busy with Salamander."

"We have what we need so it doesn't matter; we'll see him again soon. And I'm sure the rest of Lucy's guild will come to save here eventually." Imitatia said as she picked up the celestial mage and put her over her shoulder. Her body then started glowing as four rose petals came out of her back and took the form of butterfly wings. **(A/N: Just like how Kurama can fly in Yu Yu Hakusho.)** "Now let's go, we've wasted enough time already."

"Very well, it's time to bring about the inevitable chaos!" Klodoa agreed before Imitatia grabbed him and flew off into the air. Close by, Elfman was hiding behind an enormous boulder holding out his commutation card and whispered to it. "This is bad, we're in serious trouble!"

" _What did you say? Can you speak up?"_ Warred asked through the card. _"Seriously, I can barely hear you!"_

The Takeover mage glanced from his hiding spot. "Looks like the enemies gone. I'd better get Natsu."

" _Hey, Elfman! What's going on?!"_ Warred continued to ask.

"I'll tell you when we get back, and you're not gonna believe it!" Elfman said before putting the card in his butt pocket; he then ran over to the rubble that was once a church hall and cried "Manly dig!" as he started lifting the rock pieces and tossing them aside. After a few digs, he managed to find Natsu's hand and grasped it. He pulled hard, freeing the Dragon Slayer from the rubble. He placed him down and put he his ear close to his chest. "Glad to see you're still alive bro." Elfman said when he heard Natsu's heartbeat; the Salamander then coughed and opened one eye.

"Where is that phony? I'm gonna pound her face in!" Natsu said weakly.

"They're gone Natsu, and should be too." Elfman suggested as he placed Natsu on his back. "Let's get back to the guild hall!"

"But…I gotta save…Lucy," the Son of Igneel muttered before passing out again.

"I know it's not manly to run, but we don't have a choice right now! We gotta tell the others about Michelle and we're going to need all the help we can get to save Lucy." Elfman said "But don't worry Natsu, we're going to save her, That's promise from a real man! Now, manly run!" The beast takeover mage raced back to his guild hall with his comrade on his back.

Elsewhere, Kanaloa was hopping away from the church hall with the injured Legion commander on his head. "I am grateful to you for rescuing Kanaloa, thank you." Byro grunted to the octopus as he stood up. "I must return to Zentopia, so that I can see the truth with my own eyes…is this really what the Archbishop wants?"

* * *

Back with Gohan, the Demi Saiyan, the Rune Knights, and the former mage stared at dark heavens as lightning flashed and the sky grew darker. "What's going on?" Gohan asked.

"The Infinity Clock has been released," Katja answered. "The end is near,"

"That must mean that none of the teams completed their mission." Mest said. "Great, now what?"

"We must report this to the council, and plan our next move!" Lahar suggested.

"You guys should take Katja to safety and let Fairy Tail know what happened!" Gohan said. "I'm going back to help Tyson."

"You can't, you're hurt!" Katja argued.

"She's right kid. You should get those injuries checked out before you start fighting again," Mest agreed. Before anyone could say or do anything, something struck the ground in front of them blowing the Rune Knights and the half Saiyan back; they looked to see Chief Tyson on the ground, battered and bruised and with a dislocated shoulder. "Hey Tyson, what happened?!"

"Wait, where's Katja?!" Gohan asked. The three looked around and gasped when they found the girl; Rancor stood before them smirking as he held Katja I his right hand. Her mouth was covered by his huge hand. "LET HER GO!" Gohan ordered as he jumped at the Tufflebot, only to be smacked away due to his weakened state. Lahar and Mest rushed o aid the former mage but were struck in the back by Racer who landed beside Rancor.

"Déjà vu eh Saiyan?" Rancor asked mockingly. "Here we are in the same situation again, only this time, you don't have the strength to oppose me."

"Rancor, if you hurt her I'll…" Gohan started to say.

"You'll what?! You're too weak to challenge at the moment, let alone save this girl." Rancor pulled out his wrist blade and held it close to Katja's face. "Since her link was severed, we no longer need her alive…I should kill her," Katja glanced at the blade in fear before it was retracted. "But I'm feeling generous now, so here's the deal monkey. Surrender yourself to us and the girl, all of your comrades here will be spared." Rancor held the girl out to the Saiyan, grinning triumphantly. "You're move Saiyan,"

Gohan looked angrily at the Hatchiyak before glancing at his frightened friend; he sighed deeply and said "Fine, I surrender." The Son of Goku walked over to his enemies and stopped right in front of them.

Rancor then released the former mage who quickly ran to embrace the Z Fighter. "Gohan! You can't give yourself up to these guys! They could kill you!" she said worriedly.

The Saiyan held Katja in his arms before looking her in the eyes. "I'm sorry Katja, I have to do this." He then pushed her over to the Rune Knights where she was caught by Mest. "GET HER OUT OF HERE, NOW!" The Teleporter complied and quickly vanished with the former celestial mage; Gohan was then struck in the back of his head by Rancor's fist, causing him to be knocked out. Rancor grabbed the Demi Saiyan and slung him over his shoulder.

"Let's go, we've got plans to make." Rancor said to Racer.

"Hold it right there metal man!" Tyson ordered as he got up and fired an energy blast while Lahar let out his magic chains; Rancor simply grabbed Racer and jumped up to avoid the attacks. Tyson spotted the Tufflebot in the air and quickly jumped after him. Rancor placed two fingers at his forehead and in an instant he disappeared before the Cyborg could reach him. Tyson descended on the ground, unable to sense Rancor's energy anywhere nearby; he and Lahar looked down in shame as the time of the inevitable chaos grew closer.

"DAMMIT!" Tyson exclaimed as he let out a fiery red Ki. "Dammit all! Being a good guy sure does suck!"

 **A/N: Done! This has got to be the longest chapter I've ever written; never realized how long it would take to finish this arc. Sorry I've kept you all waiting, been a bit busy; but I assure you things will really get interesting. Instead of Natsu taken hostage by the Six Demons it's our beloved Demi Saiyan and even Imitatia can manipulate Ki sue to the effects of the Combat Drug! So what's gonna happen to Gohan? How will Fairy Tail and the Legion Platoon defeat the Neo Oracion Seis now? Find out on the next explosive chapter of Dragon Tail Z! P.S. The fight scenes of Gohan and Tyson vs. Rancor was inspired by Goku and Piccolo vs. Raditz, Gohan and Krillin vs. Ginyu in Goku's body, Goku and Vegeta vs. Ultimate Buu (just a few of my favorite Tag-team battles), and a hint of Piccolo vs. Frost. Hope you guys are still reading and stay tuned for the next chapter, until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: We're back and it's time for another chapter of Dragon Tail Z! Thanks for the reviews and hope you like this chapter; I put a lot of work into it and there's a little surprise near the end. So sit back, relax, and enjoy reading this fanfic!**

 **Last time on Dragon Tail Z, the Neo Oracions Seis had succeeded in severing every biological link to the Infinity Clock and have gained full control of it. Gohan, Tyson, Mest and Lahar managed to save Katja from her curse but they were ambushed by Rancor who now had access to 50% of his maximum power; the Tufflebot threatened to kill the former Celestial mage if the Demi Saiyan did not surrender himself. Gohan immediately complied and was taken captive the Neo Oracion Seis.**

 **Also, with the Infinity Clock fully activated, Michelle revealed her true identity to Natsu, Lucy and Lord Byro as the final member of the six demons, Imitatia, the Mistress of Deception. Natsu and Byro attempted to defeat before she could abduct Lucy, but Imitatia easily incapacitated them with the power of Ki from the combat drug. Now with the Son of Goku and the Celestial mage as their prisoners, the dark mages and Rancor proceed with their plans to bring about the Inevitable chaos while Fairy Tail and the Rune Knights regroup to come up with a plan to stop them.**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail, Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima respectively do!**

 **Chapter22 – Real Nightmare**

At Lamia Scale guild, the Son of Vegeta had finished listening to Lyon's explanation about Rancor working with the Neo Oracion Seis and brought out a Dyno-Cap from his capsule case. He pressed the button and let the capsule fall to the floor and in a puff of smoke, it transformed into a large box full of Saiyan Battle Armor. _"It's a good thing mom gave me the chest full of spare armor,"_ Trunks thought as he started to change into his armor.

"Are you going to fight Trunks?" Chelia asked him.

"Yes. If the Hatchiyak is here and responsible for what's happening, then it's my duty to stop him again!" Trunks answered as he placed on his battle jacket.

"We should go with you," Jura suggested. "We can offer our assistance."

"No! You heard what almost happened to Lyon and Fairy Tail when they were caught in between Gohan's battle with that machine!" Trunks said while slipping on his boots. "I can't risk that, I need to focus on destroying Rancor without worrying about others safety. It's better if I go alone."

"How do you plan to find this guy anyway?" Toby asked.

"I was hoping to sense his energy and go to his location, but since I can't sense either its or Gohan's at the moment, I'll head to Fairy Tail to see if Gohan's there." Trunks replied.

"I don't like the idea of any of my guild members going on a dangerous mission like this alone boy," Ooba admitted. "But it seems like none of us will be much help to you against this foe, so I'll allow it. You just better come back to us alive, or I'll spin you, ya hear?!"

"Don't worry; I haven't died yet, so I don't plan on doing so now!" Trunks declared as he put on his gloves and tied his hair to a ponytail. "Alright then, time to get going!"

"Best of luck to you Trunks," Lyon bid him.

"We're counting on you, don't let us down!" Jura said.

"Show those demons the strength of your love! And say hi to the Fairies for us, especially Mirajane!" Sherry said while winking.

"Uh sure." Trunks said as he stepped towards the door.

"Wait Trunks, you forgot your sword!" Chelia called as she brought him his blade.

"Thanks, but I won't be needing it, not for this fight!" Trunks assured as he pet the God Slayer's head. "Mind holding onto to it for me?"

"Sure, I'll keep it safe!" Chelia promised.

"Thanks!" Trunks then stepped out of the guildhall; he then closed his eyes as he tried to sense any familiar energy sources from the Fairy Tail guild. His eyes reopened when he recognized a few on the energies he sensed the last time he went there. "Alright, let's go!" He flared his energy and blasted off into the heavens, moving towards the Fairy Tail guildhall.

On board the Infinity Castle, the Demi Saiyan laid against the floor of what appeared to be a prison cell; deep in his own mind the internal struggle between his human half and Saiyan half continued. The two halves repeatedly pounded each other as placed the blame on each other. The Z fighter could do nothing but watch as the questioned they asked him still rang throughout his head. "What are you?! Who are you?!" Gohan's eyes suddenly shout open and he woke up. He immediately sat up as he ribbed the back of his head. "Ow my head, what happened?" he asked before it came back to him. "Wait I remember now. Katja's link was severed and the Infinity Clock was fully activated. Then I was captured by Rancor." He stood up and observed his surroundings. "Is this a prison cell? Just where exactly did Rancor take me? And what does he want from me that he kept me alive til now? Well, I'm not waiting to find out!" He stepped towards the bars and punched them, but only succeeding in hurting his fist. "Guess my energy's still drained; I don't have the strength to bust out of here yet." He then heard footsteps and glanced to his right; approaching his cell were Cardinal Lapointe and Imitatia.

The two mages stood in front of half Saiyan's prison and the Cardinal used his magic to bend the bars, allowing him and the Mistress of deception to step inside. Gohan stepped back but took a stance in case the two intended to attack him. "So, this is the famed Son Gohan, the Mighty Son of the great Goku, one of the last Saiyan warriors and one of the strongest Z Fighters." Lapointe stated.

"How do you know so much about me?" Gohan inquired. "Who are you guys?"

"I am Cardinal Lapointe, assistant to the Archbishop of Zentopia." Lapointe introduced himself before glancing at Imitatia. "I'm sure you've already met my colleague."

Gohan looked at the Mistress in confusion. "Do I know you? You seem familiar." Imitatia answer his question by transforming back into her Michelle form then quickly returning to her Oracion form. "Michelle! What are you doing here?!"

"The Michelle Lobster you knew was nothing more than a lie from the Mistress of deception." Imitatia explained. "I am Imitatia, the sixth member of the Neo Oracion Seis!"

"What?! You were a member of the Oracion Seis the entire time?! That means, you were the one who leaked out information on the Infinity Clock and you tricked us into helping the Neo Oracion Seis find the pieces!" Gohan asked, enraged. He jumped to try and punch the 6th Oracion but she simply summoned vines from her body to restrain him; the Saiyan child grunted in pain as he was immobilized. _"How? I didn't sense her energy at all! In fact, I can't sense either of these guys life force!"_ he thought before asking "So the sweet innocent girl that we all got to know, that was just a lie?!"

"Yes. I needed Fairy Tail to trust me and help me complete my mission without realizing they were helping the Neo Oracion Seis." Imitatia answered. "You did make things complicated a few times, but in the end even someone as powerful as you could not stop the inevitable chaos we sought to unleash on the world."

"What about you being Lucy's little sister?! How you knew her as a kid, and that you worked with her dad and came to find her on a request he made before he died?! Was that a lie too?!" Gohan questioned. The deceiver seemed surprised by this question and looked away from the Saiyan in guilt and sadness. "Well? Answer me?!"

"Enough! We didn't come here to converse, we came because you have something we desire child!" Lapointe interrupted.

"So by those clothes and status, you must be a big influence in Zentopia. Does that mean Zentopia is in leagues with the Neo Oracion Seis?!" Gohan asked.

"That might be a difficult question to answer boy. From your perspective, yes, despite their efforts, Zentopia has been aiding the Neo Oracion Seis from the start, as has Fairy Tail." Lapointe answered. "But from my perspective, no one knows that I'm the one who freed the four members of the Oracion Seis and Erigor from the council's custody or that I've been working with them til now."

Gohan glared at the Cardinal "Where am I?! And what do you guys plan to do with the Infinity Clock?!" he inquired.

"Where you are is the true form of the Infinity Clock, the Infinity Castle." Lapointe answered. "As for what we plan to do with the Clock itself, we wish to use it to cast a grand spell all over Earthland, the Real Nightmare!"

"Real Nightmare?" Gohan asked. "What does that do?"

"When cast, it dramatically alters a person's perception of time." Lapointe said.

"What does that mean? Are you saying it can control time?" Gohan inquired.

"No, the spell does not grant the ability to manipulate time, rather it just alters a human's perception of it. What the current time is to you, what you're currently doing at the moment, who you are currently conversing with at this moment, and what you plan to do next." Lapointe grinned wickedly as he continued to explain. "The Real Nightmare would disrupt your understanding of the moment known as now, and without the concept of now there won't be any concepts relating to time. Past, present, future, none of that would mean anything to you. The things you've experienced from the past that define who you are would be destroyed and without that…your identity would be lost."

"That's horrible! So that's the chaos you wanna invoke?! How could you do that?!" Gohan asked.

"Quite easily. Now I believe it time to claim our prize." Lapointe said as he brought out a syringe.

"What could I possibly have that you want?" Gohan inquired before he suddenly felt a tremendous surge of pain. "What's happening? What are you doing to me?"

"My magic allows me to cause intense pain to anyone trapped in my cilice." Imitatia explained. The Demi Saiyan fell to his knees as he was approached by the Cardinal; Lapointe injected the syringe into Gohan's arm, making him cringe then pulled the back hook, filling the glass with his blood. Lapointe removed the syringe and steppe away from the Z Fighter as Imitatia dropped him onto the ground.

"You asked what we wanted from you boy, your power." Lapointe explained. "Rancor has told us a lot about your warrior race, including your Saiyan power and just think, soon the Neo Oracion Seis will have this same power." He held up the syringe and gazed at it in awe. "Your DNA is the key to such power; with it, we can enhance the Ki abilities that the combat drug provides and we can grow stronger every time we fight to exercise our great power! We will be like gods of destruction through this cataclysm!" The Cardinal then glanced at the Saiyan child. "It's a shame you wish to oppose us, with you power you could have place among the six demons child."

"I would never join people like you!" Gohan replied. "Besides, I'm sure Rancor wouldn't allow me to become one of his masters!"

"We've wasted enough time here. Now that we have what we need from him, I must attend to Lucy." Imitatia said.

"Wait, you have Lucy here too?! What do plan to do with here?!" Gohan questioned.

"You should worry about yourself rather than my big sister, Gohan." Imitatia suggested.

"You used Lucy, lied to her, and now you're going to destroy the world she loves and tried to protect! You have no right to call her you sister!" Gohan snarled. Imitatia looked hurt by his words but her expression quickly changed to its usual neutral one before she turned away from the Z Fighter; the two dark mages stepped out of the Saiyan's cell and closed the bars. Gohan ran to bars and grabbed them as he yelled "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, FAIRY TAILL IS GOING TO STOP YOU!"

Lapointe looked back the Saiyan and replied "With the Infinity Clock, the Celestial mage to link it to our will and the powers of a Saiyan, no one will be able to stop us." The two then left the Saiyan in his prison.

Gohan turned away from the bars in anger and punching the back, managing to make just a small dent in it. _"I need my strength back if I wanna bust out of here and stop Rancor or the Neo Oracion Seis."_ He thought as he examined his hand. _"Better start meditating like Piccolo taught me, that should restore some of my energy even with the gas sapping it away."_ The Son of Goku sat down on the ground in a ruminant position and closed his eyes; he started levitating above the floor as his body began channeling Ki. _"Just you wait Rancor, I'll coming for you soon, and then we'll settle the score once and for all!"_

With Fairy Tail, the members who were sent on mission had all returned and were now discussing their past confrontation with the Neo Oracion Seis. "Will someone please explain to me what the hecks going on?!" Gray asked impatiently.

"It appears that Michelle's true identity is the sixth member of the Neo Oracion Seis." Erza answered.

"Yeah, she was just acting all cut and sweet to fool us." Elfman said. "What's worse is that they now have Lucy and it's my fault! I wasn't many enough to stop her at all!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Mira told him.

"She's right. If it weren't for you Elfman I'd be dead right now." Natsu said as he was being healed by Wendy. "I owe ya one."

"I deserve some of the blame too," Cana said.

"Why? What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"My cards didn't say anything about Brain II going to Kardiac Cathedral, but they're usually right on the money." The fortuneteller explained as she held up cards of her guildmates. "And I'm sure no one would argue that the teams I picked out didn't work very well. Nobody was on the same page."

"I can definitely see your point," Gray said.

"We couldn't agree on anything," Elfman stated.

"Do you think an outside force could've used your cards against us?" Erza asked.

"It's possible," Cana replied.

"Looks like all that running around was just a big waste of time." Gray said.

"Well that's not completely true. Wendy's team managed to take down Grim Reaper." Mira pointed.

"By the way kid, what's with the new look, hardly recognize ya," Gajeel said.

"Oh this, it's my Storm Dragon mode." Wendy explained. "I acquired it after eating Erigor's storm magic and getting a power boost from Ms. Jillian's staff. It's how I defeated him even after he took some weird drink to get stronger."

"Incredible, it's just like when Natsu ate lightning and became a Lightning Flame Dragon Slayer," Gray said.

"Indeed, I can feel a tremendous amount of magic power from you Wendy," Erza said. The Sky maiden became greatly proud at the same time embarrassed from the praise she was receiving from her friends.

"That's great and all Wendy, but are you gonna change back or what?" Natsu asked.

"Well, I'm just starting to get the hang of this mode, so could take a while," Wendy answered before she suddenly changed back. "Or not." She then fell back a bit but was caught by her friends.

"Are you alright child?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, just a little tired from using that mode. Just need a few seconds then I can go back to healing Natsu." She assured as she stood up again.

"Feels like all of us got completely stomped by these dark mages." Elfman said.

"Speaking of those guys, does anyone know why they were so strong?!" Gray asked. "It was like one second we had them on the ropes, then the next, they drink some liquid and suddenly their pounding us into the ground with ease."

"The same thing happened when Lieutenant Steelsoul fought Cobra," Erza explained. "When I saw Cobra, he had entered some kind of draconic form that was similar to the Dragon Force that Natsu used in the Tower of Heaven, but it was even greater and made him appear more dragon like!"

"That's impossible red! No one ever seen a Dragon Slayer actually become a Dragon," Gajeel denied.

"Actually, according to the Dragon Historia books Levy read, they are mentions of Dragon Slayers turning into Dragon humanoid creatures or even Dragons too." Warren. "That form might've been the start of it."

"So what? It's like a Super Dragon Force?!" Happy joked.

"This is no time for jokes Tomcat!" Carla ridiculed her fellow exceed.

"Besides, it's more like a Dragon Force 2!" Lily said seriously.

"How exactly did Cobra get like that Erza? He couldn't do something like that before!" Natsu stated.

"According to Steelsoul, it happened right after Cobra drank some strange liquid in a veil." Erza replied. "After taking it, his magic power increased dramatically."

"The same thing happened when that Angel chick drank something, she called it a combat drug." Gray said. "It somehow gave her the ability to use Ki too, like Gohan. Her power was unbelievable!"

"I don't think that Jackpot guy we fought drank it," Elfman said.

"That's because he wasn't human, just that talking stick that belonged to Brain I," Natsu explained. "But Michelle did drink something like that, I could feel the power when she used to destroy me!"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, she took it after Byro nullified her magic." Elfman recalled. "She easily took him out using Ki."

"How is that possible?" Makarov questioned.

"The combat drug not only enhances the user's magic but awakens their inner Ki, maximizing it and merging it with their magic." Someone answered; the Fairies looked up to see Weinheidt descending with Bisca and Alzack in his arms.

"Hey guys!" Bisca greeted her friends.

"Bisca! Alzack!" the Fairies called to them.

"We're so relieved you're alright." Erza said.

"I'm guessing you guys didn't have any luck in defeating Brain II?" Cana inquired to which the three shook their heads in shame.

"Hey Bisca, what's that in your hand?" Gray asked.

"It's what's left of the Machias from Zentopia who tried to stop Midnight along with us," Bisca said sadly.

Everyone seemed confused by the gun mage's answer. "Uh, what exactly is a Machias?" Erza asked.

"The Machias are a race of machine that are capable of wielding magic as well as humans." Hugo answered as he revealed himself to the mages.

"Lieutenant Steelsoul, should you be up now?" Makarov questioned.

"I'm fine, your little Dragon Slayer and Jillian managed to heal me of my injuries and cure the poison." Hugo replied. "I would still need to recover fully, but there's no time for that."

"Very well, what can you tell us about the Machias?" Makarov inquired.

"The Machias were mechanical mages originally built for warfare; they designed to be superior to organic mages, exceeding the limits of magic in humans." Hugo explained. "The Machias are usually found in the western continent and are led by someone call the Adjudicator; it's rare to find one inside Ishgar, especially with their destructive reputation."

"Destructive doesn't even begin to describe this machine's power!" Alzack said. "He called himself Centurion and that he was devoted to serving Zentopia."

"You wouldn't believe how incredibly powerful he was, a single attack from him nearly brought down the whole tomb on us and that wasn't even his best." Weinheidt explained. "His power could surpass even a Wizard Saint's; it took Midnight drinking the combat drug to get the edge over him."

All the Fairies stared at the Specialist and the Connells with awestruck looks. "Man, it's a good thing that Machias guy wasn't here when we first met the Legion Platoon." Gray said.

"Indeed, he might've presented a real problem for us." Erza said.

"Ha! He doesn't sound so tough, I could take him no sweat!" Natsu declared.

"Just keep telling yourself that pal." Happy said as he sweat dropped.

"So then, how you guys get a piece of him?" Elfman asked.

"Brain II redirected on of Centurion's attacks that ended up severing his arm before he unleashed a powerful spell that completely consumed Centurion. We were almost caught up in it but the Machias tossed aside to save our lives. There was nothing left of him amongst the rumble." The Specialist explained. "Midnight's power had increased more than I thought possible, he took all of our best attacks and didn't even flinch. He even shattered Centurion's perfect shell, an impenetrable barrier that was suppose to protect Will Neville's corpse."

"Speaking of new members of the Legion Platoon, Freed and I net another one. She said she was the head nun and a teacher for Zentopia, said her name was Solaseed." Gray said. "She uses white arts magic, a type of holy magic. Her skills were amazing, even her Breath of Bless was more effective than Wendy's support magic."

"You meanie Gray!" the Sky Maiden pouted.

"Hey, didn't Samuel mention Centurion and Solaseed when he talked to us?" Happy asked.

"Yes. He said they were Zentopia's strongest warriors alongside Byro," Carla answered.

"Sammy said that Byro was troubled by Centurion's reactivation and that using the Machias was extremely dangerous since he could wipe out numerous dark guilds singlehandedly." Lily said. "Plus Gatman, it seems that Legion has acquired quite a few strong arms."

"Didn't change much cause the Neo Oracion Seis still managed to best us," Gajeel said.

"I never thought this would turn out to be such a crisis, first the Oracion Seis, then this Rancor, and now a drug that enhances both Ki and magic while fusing them." Makarov said solemnly. "This could bring about quite the catastrophe on Fiore."

"So what?!" Natsu asked "We've been in tough situations before right?! We still got through them no matter how hard they were, and we'll do it again! For Lucy and for everything those jerks did to her starting with using that phony to fool her! Now let's go save her!" The Salamander got up and was about to run off but he was quickly tackled by his guildmates.

"Hold it flame brain! We can't just go rushing into battle again!" Gray told him.

"We've already lost to those demons twice, if we want to ensure our victory this time, we need a real plan this time!" Erza insisted.

"We also need to wait for Gohan to come back, we'll need him if we wanna rescue Lucy." Happy said.

"Where is the kid anyway? I thought he'd be here by now," Gajeel said.

"Maybe he's still fighting. Wasn't he with those guys from the magic council?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, Mest, Lahar, and Chief Tyson. But they should all be here since the Infinity Clock was fully activated." Gray said. "So where are those guys?"

"Do you think something could've happened to Gohan?" Wendy asked worried. "Maybe Rancor beat him again!"

"I highly doubt it, Gohan is incredibly strong for a child. I do not think he would lose to the same foe twice." Erza said.

"Besides, he promised us that he would finish off that Rancor for good! Like a real man!" Elfman.

"I guess, it's just that, I had this uneasy feeling and I'm sure it was about Gohan." Wendy said.

"Don't worry Wendy, Gohan's super strong!" Happy said. "He'll be fine."

"He is a Saiyan after all, a member of powerful race of warriors." Lily stated.

"And he's a member of our guild, so he has our shared spirit." Carla said. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"I hope you're right." Wendy said.

Suddenly, Hugo and Weinheidt faces became alert as they sensed something. "What is that?! Such powerful energy!" the Knight stated.

"You're telling me! This guy's Ki is enormous, it's nearly equal to that Gohan kid's power!" the Specialist agreed.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"There's a huge power level headed in this direction!" Hugo alerted the mages. "It'll be here soon."

"Hey, what's that?!" Natsu asked. The Son of Igneel looked up into the sky as he spotted something; the rest of his friends looked in the same direction and saw something of a white speck coming towards them.

"Something's coming towards the guild!" Gray said.

"Stay on guard, it could be an enemy!" Erza instructed as she brought her sword.

"I bet it's Gohan, he's finally back!" Happy said.

"No, it's not." Weinheidt denied.

The Fairies watched as the tiny dot got bigger the closer it got; eventually the person flying to their guildhall came into view, it was indeed a Saiyan, but it was not the Son of Goku. Hovering over the mages' heads was a long lavender haired muscular teen with blue eyes, wearing a blue skin-tight jumpsuit with Saiyan Battle Armor, white boots with yellow tips, and white gloves. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, the Connells, Hugo, Weinheidt and the Exceeds looked at the half Saiyan questionably while Cana, Elfman, Makarov and Mira stared at him with wide eyes as they recognized him despite his different appearance. The time traveler slowly decided to the ground and said "I hope this isn't a private party,"

"Who is this guy?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know, but he looks kind of tough," Gray pointed out.

"Do you think he's here for a fight?!" Erza inquired.

"If he is, he's come at the wrong time!" Gajeel said as he summoned his iron dragon sword.

"Be careful guys, even me and Weinheidt wouldn't stand much of a chance against this guy." Hugo said before addressing the Saiyan. "Who are you?! And why are you here?!"

"Trunks!" Mira called to the lone warrior before moving past her friends to greet him. "It's great to see you again!" she said as she embraced him.

The Son of Vegeta felt a little awkward as he couldn't return the gesture. "Hey Mira, nice to see you too." He replied.

Elfman soon came over to the Saiyan and asked "Hey man, how ya been?!"

"Elfman, I've been fine thank you." Trunks answered as Mira let him go. His moment was short lived as the daughter of Fairy Tail's Ace came to him and wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Hey there pretty boy, good to see ya! Just couldn't stay away from my knockers could ya? Hope you can stay for a drink this time, I'll buy ya one!" Cana said to the Saiyan teen. "So what's going on with you?"

"Nothing as exciting as what's been happening here I assume," Trunks said as he stepped away from the card mage. The Demi Saiyan was then approached by the guild's 3rd master.

"Welcome back Trunks. I wish I could say you've come at a good time but we're in a bit of a crisis at the moment." Makarov said.

"So I've heard, which is why I'm here." Trunks said.

"Master, do you know this man?" Erza asked hoping to clear up her and her guildmates confusion.

"Of course. This is Trunks Briefs." Makarov introduced the Saiyan Prince to his children.

"Wait, you mean Gohan's friend that saved Mira once?" Natsu asked and his friends nodded. "How do you guys know him?"

"Trunks came here looking for Gohan but met us instead," Mira answered.

"Hold on, how do we know this is the guy who saved Mira?" Gray asked. "We already had someone lie to us and trick us into trusting them; we can't let that happen again!"

The others aside from those who met the lavender haired Saiyan before now all gave serious looks, showing that they were in agreement with the ice mage. "I'm afraid that he is right. We cannot easily trust someone who just appears here randomly." Erza said. "If you want us to believe you then we need confirmation."

"Like what?" Trunks asked.

"Well first, we were told that you were a member of the Lamia Scale guild." Gray pointed out. "So let's see your guild mark if you got it." Trunks complied by taking of his left glove and rolling up his sleeve, revealing the lady shaped guild mark on his left shoulder. "Alright, so you are a member of Lamia Scale."

"What about that gold shiny form that Gohan uses?!" Natsu inquired. "Can you do that?"

"It's called the Super Saiyan moron!" Gajeel replied. "But yeah, if you're a Saiyan like Gohan said, than let's see you transform."

"You mean this?" Trunks asked as his hair and eyebrows immediately changed to gold and his eyes were teal; the fairies stepped back as the Saiyan started emitting his fiery aura.

"Wow! He looks just like Gohan!" Happy said.

"Yes but older," Carla said.

"Still, he can become a Super Saiyan just like our friend." Lily stated.

" _Wow! He's gorgeous!"_ Mira and Cana thought as they gazed at the Saiyan Prince with dreamy eyes.

Trunks sighed as he powered down to his base form. "I hope I've convinced you," he said.

"Indeed you have. It's a pleasure to meet you Trunks, my name is Erza Scarlet." Titania introduced herself.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster." Gray said.

"Gajeel Redfox." Gajeel proclaimed.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer," Natsu stated.

"Happy,"

"Carla,"

"Pantherlily,"

"It's pleasure to be meeting all of Gohan's friends, but I really came here to see him." Trunks admitted. "Do you know where I can find him?"

The Sky maiden stepped towards the Saiyan and shyly said "My name is Wendy Marvell, I'm Gohan's friend too. He hasn't come back yet, we actually thought he was coming when it was really you."

Trunks smiled at the Sky Dragon Slayer as he thought _"She's so much like Chelia, except more timid."_ He then asked "I see, what was he doing before he left? Does it have anything to do with this crisis Lyon told me about?"

"Yes. In order to stop this inevitable chaos, we assigned teams to confront the enemy before their goals were complete." Makarov explained. "We just discovered that trickery was used so none of the teams were compatible, but unfortunately Gohan wasn't sent with any other member which might have also been the enemy's intention. He has yet to return and report his mission."

"So, no one know where he is? That's unfortunate. I needed to speak with him about if whether the Hatchiyak really is here in Earthland." Trunks said. "I wish he hadn't gone alone to face that machine."

"Well, he wasn't alone, he just didn't go with any of our guild members." Erza clarified. "He went with a man known as Chief Tyson."

"Chief Tyson?" Trunks asked. "I'm afraid I don't know who that is."

"Really? Cause when Gohan first saw he knew he already." Natsu said before he realized something. "Oh yeah, you might know him by a different name like Gohan did. What was it? Andy three? Andro tri? Andrew preteen?"

Trunks raised an eyebrow at the Fire Dragon's confusion before he suddenly sensed two power levels appear. "Howdy ya'll, hate to bring ya some bad news but I have to tell ya that city kid's been taken!" Tyson reported. Trunks' eye grew wide as he recognized that voice. _"That voice…it can't be!"_ he thought before turning to face the three council officers standing behind him; his eyes landed on the gentleman with the long silver hair, greenish blue eyes, and the trucker hat. Tyson the spotted the half Saiyan among the Fairies and grinned wickedly. "Hey there haircut, been a long time hasn't? You remember your old pal Tyson right?" he said jokingly.

"ANDROID 13!" Trunks exclaimed, enraged.

"Yeah! That's what I was trying to say!" Natsu said.

"Not now idiot!" Gray told him.

"Everyone stay back!" Trunks ordered as he turned Super Saiyan. He charged at the Cyborg and threw a punch at him; Tyson easily dodged the attack by jumping to the sky. Trunks followed him and started throwing multiple at the mechanical fighter. The Chief avoided and blocked the Saiyan's strikes half heartedly. "I don't know how you got to this world, but I'm sending you to hell where you belong!"

"Hah! Even the great Goku couldn't kill me; I doubt you'll have any better luck haircut!" Tyson said mockingly. "What's makes you think you'll have more of chance than he did?"

"Cause I'm not Goku!" Trunks answered.

The mages down below watched as the Cyborg and Demi Saiyan caught up on old times. "We don't have time for this senseless violence! Please tell your guildmate to cease attacking so that we can discuss our next strategy." Lahar requested.

"Hate to break to ya glasses, but this guy ain't a member of Fairy Tail," Gajeel pointed. "It's a shame, cause I like him. He'd fit right in."

"Wait, he's not from your guild?" Mest asked. "Then who is this guy?"

"He's a friend of Gohan's, his name's Trunks Briefs. He's apart of Lamia Scale." Erza answered.

"Well, can you get him to stop attacking Chief Tyson?" Mest inquired.

"You wanna get between a Super Saiyan and their target? No thanks, not interested in dying young!" Gray said.

"We have to do something don't we?!" Wendy asked. "Tyson's on our side, Trunks needs to know that before he kills him!"

"Trunks! It's alright, Tyson's not your enemy! Please stop!" Mira called to the Saiyan Prince. Trunks didn't hear her words as he continued to attack the Android.

"You haven't learned anything since the last time eh haircut!" Tyson said. "The gold boy look don't scare me at all!"

"Then how about this look, Redneck?!" Trunks asked as he backed from the Red Ribbon soldier and started increasing his energy; His arm and leg muscles started to expand greatly as he entered the ascended Super Saiyan state. He then flew at Tyson and skull bashed him, making him flinch; Trunks then punched the Cyborg in the right cheek before pounding him with his fists repeatedly. He then kicked Tyson with both feet, sending him flying a few feet away from the guild hall before appearing above him with his hands clamped together and slamming them on the Cyborg, knocking him towards the earth. Trunks then put his hands together and gathered an gold energy sphere in the palm of his hands. The Fairies watched with amazement as Trunks' display of power while Hugo and Weinheidt watched in horror as the Saiyan Prince prepared to kill their leader when Jillian came out of the guild hall.

"Hey, I just finished healing the other guild wizards when I sensed this enormous power level come out of nowhere! What's going on?!" She inquired.

"Some guy who's apparently friends with that Gohan kid just showed and attacked Chief Tyson!" Weinheidt answered. "He must know him as Android 13 too and now he's trying to kill him!"

"Well, we'd better do something fast! Looks like he's about to deliver the final blow!" Jill stated.

"Knight, let's move!" Hugo ordered before he and his comrades dashed towards the Demi Saiyan.

"Did you see that? Dude went from very muscular to incredibly buff in two seconds!" Gray said.

"His power seems to have increased as well, this must be his own secondary Super Saiyan state." Erza said in awe.

"He kinda reminds me of Laxus when we fought," Natsu said.

"No way, this guy's even more muscular then Makarov's grandkid." Gajeel said.

"He's got the body and power of a real man!" Elfman declared.

"You said it man! It's too bad he's wearing that armor, I would love to see those glorious abs up close," Cana said before whispering to Mira. "Wouldn't you agree Mira?"

"Oh Cana," Mira replied before thinking. _"You're totally right!"_

"Goodnight, Android!" Trunks said to Tyson as he was about to vaporized him. The Son of Vegeta's wrists were suddenly tied by Ki wires and pulled apart; he looked down to see Jillian restraining his right hand and Weinheidt his left while Hugo appeared behind him and locked him with a full nelson hold.

"I don't know who you are, but stand down now!" Hugo ordered.

"Listen, this is just a big misunderstanding!" Jillian assured. "Just let us explain!"

"We know why you'd want to kill the Chief but believe us, he's not your enemy!" Weinheidt said.

Trunks resisted by skull bashing Hugo in the face, making him cringe and release his hold on him' Trunks then brought his hands back together, causing the Combat healer and the hunter to be slammed into each other before he grabbed the Lieutenant and tossed him towards his comrades. The Indian Knight Trio quickly recovered and took their fighting positions and the Saiyan descended to ground level and glared at them suspiciously. "Who are you?! Nobody from Earthland knows how to wield or manipulate their Ki, so how can you do it?!" Trunks questioned the Rune Knights as he held out his hand and charged at energy blasts in case they tried to attack him again.

"We're the Indian Knight Trio, who serve under Chief Tyson," Hugo replied.

"I've never heard of you, even with the small amount of time I've spent in this world," Trunks said. The four were soon joined by the Fairy Tail mages; Mira approached the half Saiyan and placed both her hands on his wrist to calm him down.

"It's okay Trunks, they're with the magic council and they're here to help us." She told him.

"The Magic council? My guild told me that they were a group of high class wizards that governs the world of magic.' Trunks said as he lowered his hand and cancelled his attack.

"Indeed, our guild doesn't usually get along with the council but we've made an alliance with some of their best officers until the crisis is over." Makarov explained. "So I'd appreciate if you'd calm down and let us clear up this misunderstanding before we get into anymore trouble with those council stiff necks." The Saiyan Prince hesitated then nodded to show that he would comply and listen before acting again.

"We are Rune Knights that serve the council and act as officers of the law," Lahar explained. "I am Lahar, Chief Marshal of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit.

"I'm Doranbolt, head spy for the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit." Mest said.

"I am Corporal Jillian Solaris of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit," Jillian introduced herself.

"Specialist Philip Weinheidt, of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit," the hunter said.

"Lieutenant Hugo Soulsteel of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit." Hugo said. "We serve under Chief Tyson Hammer in apprehending drak mages and other criminals."

Trunks raised an eyebrow before deciding that they weren't lying and powered down to his base form. "Alright, so they're on our side. But that doesn't explain why he's here!" he said as he pointed at the Cyborg who rose to his feet. "You guys don't know…"

"Yes, we do!" Jill interrupted him. "We know that Chief Tyson was the enemy called Android 13 that you and Gohan faced and that he was made to kill Gohan's father."

"Exactly, which brings me to my next question, how are you alive?!" Trunks asked Tyson as he got in his face. "I saw the attack Goku used to defeat you. He absorbed the spirit bomb's energy and vaporized you with it, there was no way you could've survived!"

"Are you sure about that haircut?" Tyson inquired. "All that power seemed too much for one man to conceal, it had to go somewhere."

Trunks eyes then widened when he remembered the conversation with Goku after 13 was defeated. "Come to think of it, Goku said that his body wasn't able to hold in all that power, he must've released more than he intended when he struck you." The Saiyan Prince then recalled the events of the Cell Game which led to his and Gohan's appearance in Earthland. "What if the same thing happened to you too."

"Whatcha talkin' about haircut?" Tyson asked.

"When Gohan was fighting agaist Cell, they both released massive amount of energies before Gohan overpowered Cell and defeated him. After that, a large vortex opened up in the sky. Since Gohan was worn out, he didn't have the strength to escape the vortex and was sucked in, I quickly flew after him to save him. But while I was in the vortex, my strength was fading fast and I couldn't hold onto Gohan, so we were pulled apart and thrown into different parts of the wormhole which is why we ended in different places in Fiore." Trunk explained. "The same thing must've happened when Goku released all of that power from the spirit bomb at once; instead of being incinerated by the energy you were sucked through vortex that sent you here as well."

"That's a nice theory haircut, except you and Goku's boy don't look that much different from when we fought while I've been here for seven years." Tyson said.

"Seven years?! That can't be, our fight wasn't any longer than a few before we fought Cell at the Cell Games!" Trunks said.

"Cell?" Tyson inquired.

"A Bio Android built by Gero's computer like you were, basically your little brother." Trunks answered spitefully.

"Wait a minute! Are you guys telling us that both you, Tyson and Gohan are from another dimension?!" Weinheidt asked. The hybrids nodded in unison. "Well, that explains a lot,"

"Yeah, no way anyone as gorgeous as you guys could be from Earthland." Cana said.

"Please, that's a load of crap!" Gajeel argued. "Next you'll be telling me you guys are aliens!"

Trunks raised an eyebrow at Black Steel. "What did you think a Saiyan was?" he asked.

The humans aside from Chief Tyson stared at the Son of Vegeta with wide eyes again who showed no sign of joking. "WHAT?! YOU GUYS ARE ALEINS?!" Natsu and Happy asked in shock. "PLEASE DON'T ABDUCT US, WE BEG YOU OH, MIGHTY SAIYAN, SPARE OUR MEANINGLESS LIVES!" the two started groveling before the Saiyan Prince.

"Ok, first get up! Second, Saiyans don't abduct people, and third, I'm half human." Trunks said.

"What does a full Saiyan look like?" Mira asked.

"If I was a full Saiyan I'd look the same but with black hair, eyes and a brown furry tail," Trunks replied. "But back on topic, why is Thirteen err, Tyson here, and what does this have to do with the current crisis or Gohan?"

"That's what I came to tell ya'll, city boy's been captured by the metal man and his gang." Tyson said.

"Are you serious?!" Makarov asked.

"Yeah! City boy had to give himself up to save the celestial mage gal that we were protecting," Tyson explained "Said they had plans for the boy."

"Gohan too?!" Natsu questioned. "But he's so strong!"

"The kid should've been able to take out that overgrown machine like he said he would," Gajeel said.

"I can't believe they've got Gohan and Lucy," Gray said.

"Yes, this is very unfortunate for one of our strongest to be taken hostage," Erza stated.

"Oh Gohan," Wendt muttered.

"I don't buy it!" Trunks blurted out. All the mages and council members turned their attention to the half Saiyan who stepped towards Chief Tyson. "You expect me to believe that the Hatchiyak somehow beat Gohan twice and decided to take him captive rather than kill him?! That just doesn't make sense!"

"It's true haircut, that metal man got the jump on us and took the boy away before we could act," Tyson assured.

"We can vouch for that, we were there when it happened." Mest stated.

Trunks' eyes never left Tyson as he glared at him. "I've seen Gohan's true strength with my own eyes, I've felt its power in battle. I know how strong both you and the Hatchi-Rancor are, neither of you should be much of a challenge to him, _individually._ "

"What exactly are ya gettin' at, _Trunks_?" Tyson inquired with a stern look.

"That you and Rancor knew you couldn't beat Gohan alone, so you decided to work together to destroy him! That you're still the same heartless machine that tried to kill his dad when we first met! That maybe, you succeeded in killing him and you're lying about, that you've actually been working with Rancor the entire time!" Trunks answered.

"What?! That's ridiculous!" Weinheidt said. "Chief Tyson would never aid the enemy!"

"The Chief is a noble man who spent seven years taking out dark guilds and keeping people safe in the name of the magic council!" Hugo said. "And he does not deserve this kind of persecution!"

"When each of us were lost in our journeys, the Chief saved us and trained to be the fighters we are today! He may be a bit reckless, but he's successfully led the Indian Knight Trio to victory time and time again! He's the council's greatest hero!" Jillian said.

"Then tell me this Tyson, what happened when you and Gohan fought Rancor? I sensed an enormous power surge earlier before it dissipated as quickly as it came, know anything about that?" the Saiyan interrogated the Android.

"All I know is that city boy left to check something out, alone. Moments later, I detected his power level begin drop and went to help em. He almost bit the dust when I got there, I tried to take metal man myself and city boy tried to help but he wasn't at full power!" Tyson explained calmly. "Then the boy said something about some gas not being enough to beat him before he left to help the miss we were protecting. After saving her, that metal man threatened to kill her if Goku's boy didn't give himself up, he did and then they left with him!"

"Gas, it must be the Destron Gas. So the humanoid Hatchiyak can still produce his killer poison," Trunks said. "That would explain why Gohan couldn't defeat alone Rancor, but not why the both of you couldn't or why I can't sense his power signal!"

Tyson shrugged "What can I say, metal man just outsmarted us. Things didn't go our way." He replied.

"Not for Gohan, but may be this is how you plan on killing him and getting back at Goku for defeating you!" Trunks accused. "Why should I believe that you've changed from the killer machine that slaved into his one track programming?! That you're not still following Gero's crazy revenge scheme to kill Goku and his friends like you did before?!" The Saiyan Prince's energy started to rise creating a force of wind around him.

The Cyborg just stared at the Demi Saiyan, showing no sign of concern or fear. "Do you know why old Gero wanted Goku dead?" he asked.

"He wanted revenge on Goku for destroying the Red Ribbon Army and stopping their plans for world domination!" Trunks answered. "That's why he built mindless mechanical fighters like you!"

"Watch your tone with the Chief!" Hugo yelled.

"It's alright Hugo, stand down." Tyson ordered before addressing the time traveler. "The good doctor did want revenge haircut, but not for the Red Ribbon Army." Tyson then tapped his left side of his head with his finger and his eyes started filming like a holovid showing the face of a young man resembling Android 16 with a parrot on the background. "You need to see this," he said to the half Saiyan in a somber tone. The 16 look alike stepped into a laboratory where he approached a semi bald elderly man tinkering with a few metallic like skeletons. "Recognize them?"

"Who's the old geezer?" Natsu asked. "He looks even older than gramps!"

"Hey, watch it!" Makarov warned.

"I know him, that's Dr. Gero!" Trunk said.

"You mean the wacko scientist who invented you Android adversaries?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, except, he looks completely human. This must be before he made himself into a Cyborg." Trunks deduced.

"Who's the big guy with the parrot, he looks like a real man!" Elfman commented.

"That face, he looks just like Android 16," Trunks said in disbelief. "But that's impossible, 16 was never a human."

"Are you sure?" Mira asked.

"16 himself said that he was created from nothing, that he has no human parts, he was completely mechanical." Trunks answered before asking Tyson. "Who is that man?"

"That, haircut, is Dr. Gero's son!" Tyson replied.

"What?! I never knew Gero had a son!" Trunks said.

"No one did. Many of the members of the Red Ribbon Army kept their personal lives secret from society, only other members knew about their relations." Tyson explained. "Gero had a misses and a son who were both members of the army, Ms. Gero was his right hand scientist while his son was a high ranking soldier."

"Why are you showing me this?!" Trunks inquired. "We don't have time for this pointless slideshow!"

"If you're gonna waste time accusing me, then ya got time for a little origin-story," Tyson replied.

"What does this have to do with anything?!" Trunks asked.

"Just watch boy," the Rune Knight Chief simply said.

" _Dr. Gero sir, here to report my latest assignment!" Human 16 saluted his father._

" _Come now son, you don't need to be so formal with me." Gero said without facing his kid. "So how was your mission? No trouble I assume?"_

" _Yes sir, I led my troops to victory without the slightest hinge." Human 16 replied. He then smiled as he stood behind his old man. "So Pa, what's new? You're not still playing with your little toy I hope."_

" _This is not a toy, it's the future of the Red Ribbon Army," Gero said._

" _The future is a metal man that runs on batteries?" Gero's son asked sarcastically._

" _Artificial humans, mechanical warriors, cybernetic soldiers! These are the next generation of the Red Ribbon!" Gero explained as he took off his goggles and faced the soldier. "This was the dream your mother and I had together before she died."_

" _Well, ma wasn't trying build the perfect army out of scrap metal," Gero's son reasoned._

" _True, but it was her death that made me realize that the potential of humans are limited. Either by life or by time, it does not last forever. That's why we need Androids, Cyborgs, Machines to carry out the tasks we cannot complete ourselves."Gero began to explain to his son. "Our army is made up of the greatest spies, soldiers, scientists, yet it has taken a lifetime to come close to our goal; but with the super soldiers at our command, we can wait an eternity and still come strong. This is your destiny my boy, you are one of the highest ranking officers in the army, your body in fit physical condition and your intelligence is exceptionally high; with the cybernetics added to body and mind, you will led the Red Ribbon to victory! A glorious new world, and you will be the one to guide it, I can see it as clear as day!"_

" _You've certainly got some insight don't you pa. Well, sorry to run but I've other assignments to complete. Gotta run. Love you. Good luck with your cyber-" the soldier was interrupted by an alarm ringing loudly that the base was under attack. "The alarm? Are we being invaded?!"_

"Ok, so all you've shown me is that Gero had a son and cared about him, big deal. He's not the first villain I'm known to have a loving family!" Trunks said. "What's the point to what you're showing me?!"

"Have some patience haircut, you'll get the point soon enough." Tyson replied.

 _In the sky, a small boy with a monkey tail and a red pole was flying towards the Red Ribbon headquarters on a yellow cloud while carrying a backpack. "Now to get those Dragon Balls!" he declared with determination._

"Who's the squirt?" Gajeel asked.

"That weird hair, those innocent eyes, that pure smile, it reminds me so much of Gohan," Erza said. "But that can't be him right?"

"I know that face, is that Goku …as a kid?" Trunks asked.

"Yep, that's Gohan's old man when he was a boy." Tyson replied.

"Wow! The resemblance is uncanny. He looks just like Gohan, but less mature." Mira stated.

"Hold on, is this the time when Goku battled against the Red Ribbon Army?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah, and now you'll see the truth." Tyson answered.

 _A pilot in an aircraft spotted the flying monkey king and became alarmed "Hey, it's not Tao! It's some kid on a cloud!" he shouted into his radio transmitter. Goku grabbed his power pole and flew towards the Red Ribbon pilot; the soldier swerved his vehicle to evade the young Saiyan who flew after him. The Pilot then faced the boy and shot at him with his aircrafts' guns. Bullets fell from the jet as Goku's nimbus swiftly dodged the shots. "Power Pole, extend!" Goku commanded, his staff glowed red and grew vastly longer. The Saiyan swung his weapon at the aircraft, the pilot cried out as his vehicle was struck and burst into flames. Goku flew past the dark smoke towards the Red Ribbon base as pieces of the ship fell from the sky with no traces of the pilot._

The Fairies stared at the holovid in shock as did the Rune Knights and the Saiyan Prince. "Did…that kid just..?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, he did." Tyson replied.

"Whoa. From the way Gohan spoke, I thought this Goku was some great hero," Gray said.

"He was a great hero!" Trunks declared.

 _Once Goku had entered the headquarters, his presence was known to the Commander; immediately, Red Ribbon operatives armed theirselves and prepared for battle. "Orders from Commander Red, all men to sector twelve immediately!" the orders were announced throughout the command post. Goku descended to ground level and instantly started making quick work of the army soldiers in his path; one by one, soldiers fired their weapons at the monkey king but he evaded their bullets and took every single one of them down. No matter what weapon was used on the Saiyan, he continued his assault and dispatched every soldier as he headed towards the location of the two Dragon Balls he was tracking._

"Man! All this for one boy?! An entire army?! And yet, he's beating them up without breaking a sweat!" Cana said.

"Kid's slaughtering them like it's child's play!" Lily stated. "So these are what the warriors of Gohan's world are capable of."

"Hah! Kid's not half bad, but I beat I could pull that off in half the time!" Natsu declared.

"Dream on flame brain!" Gray and Gajeel said.

"Yeah Natsu, Gohan's dad is more awesome than you!" Happy said.

"What?! Shut up!" Natsu shot back.

"I can see why Gohan's so strong now, it must run in the family." Wendy said.

"Yes, and the boy looks up to his fighter dad, so he tries to be just like him." Carla commented. "Though, that may not be the best thing."

 _Goku the dodged more aircrafts before jumping on one of them; he then punched the driver in the face, knocking him out and then leaving just before the ship crashed into a building and exploded. Goku the cupped his hands together as he slowly fell towards the ground. "Ka…me…ha…me…" he chanted as he gathered his Ki in between his palms._

 _Back at the lab, Gero was still working on his project while his son was talking to someone through walky talky. "I see, thank you Colonel." the soldier said before ending the call and turned to his father. "Pa, reports of a small boy with a monkey tail and a stick are flooding through the base. Apparently he's overpowering our forces with ease." He reported._

" _What?! One child is besting the greatest army on the planet?!" Gero inquired._

" _Yessir, he's headed for wing number 8!" Gero's son stated._

" _It must be that boy the Commander hired Tao to kill," Dr. Gero deduced. "This is why I insisted that he let me build more Androids, they would make better soldiers and Assassins!"_

" _Father, Colonel Violet has contacted us and plans to escape with a few of the Red Ribbons riches, she has invited the two of us to join her before the base is completely wiped out." The high ranking officer explained. "I suggest we flee while we can and join her."_

" _We can't just run from a child playing hero, son! I'm the chief scientist and you one of the highest soldiers, it's our duty to stay and fight!" Gero reasoned._

" _I understand that father, but this child defeated Tao, the number one assassin on earth and he's easily taking out our comrades; if this goes on, we might have to…" Gero's son started to say before he was interrupted._

" _HAAAA!" Goku shouted as he thrust his hands forwards, unleashing the magical turtle shock wave._

 _Gero's son stepped towards the window and glanced out in time to see the blue beam of energy headed right for multiple buildings including the one where Gero's laboratory was hidden. "GET DOWN!" the soldier shouted as he rushed towards his father to protect him; the human 16 jumped on his father and pushed him to the ground just at the room started to fill with light. The blast collided with the laboratory, causing it to burst into flames in an instant; the Fairies, the Rune Knights watched in awe in how one child was capable of such mass destruction. Moments later, the old doctor awoke from under a pile of large rubble; his head was bleeding from the debris as he glanced around the area, only to see his precious work place completely on fire. "My…lab…no," he muttered. Gero then looked over to another part of his lab where he saw his son's immobile body sticking out from another pile of rubble; the soldier's uncovered body had many burn marks and wounds as he just laid on the ground, lifeless. "No…my son…please, wake up," Gero pleaded as he reached out for his beloved child; he touched the soldier's hand before his eyes grew wide when he felt no pulse. He then started to succumb to his injuries when he spotted something flying in the distance, a giant machine with the red ribbon symbol on it._

" _That's the battle jacket…I made for Commander Black," Gero said realization just before he witnessed the Saiyan child fly right through the machine before passing out from his pain, causing to explode. Goku then landed on the ground and left after retrieving the Dragon Balls, oblivious to how much damage he truly caused._

 _Sometime later, Gero woke up on a bed and found that his head and right arm were bandaged; he sat up and saw a purple haired female soldier sitting beside him. "Good to see you back with the living Dr. Gero," she greeted him._

" _Colonel Violet, where am I?" he asked._

" _The Infirmary, or what's left of it," she replied, the scientist attempted to get up but she kept him down. "You shouldn't move yet, you got hurt pretty bad."_

" _What happened? Where are our troops? Our comrades?" Gero inquired._

" _They're gone," the Colonel answered with a straight face. "Our bas was completely decimated, our comrades are…dead. Some survived and went to hiding, but Commander Red and Black didn't make it. As of now, the Red Ribbon Army is no more."_

 _Gero looked a bit surprised by this info before he asked "My son?! Where's my son?! Is he alright?!" Violet turned away from the Chief Scientist, her face full of grief as she could not answer the father who lost his child. "No…not my son,"_

" _I'm sorry, I wanted you guys to escape with me, but you never came to the rendezvous point. I went to the lab to find you…but I was too late," she replied sadly. "Your son was a great soldier."_

" _Yes he was, the very best we had. I had hoped that he would lead the Army in the future, with you by his side…" Gero said as he clenched his fist. "But all I can do now is get revenge. Whoever did this, they will pay!"_

" _He," Violet said._

" _What?" Gero asked._

" _He. It was a boy with a monkey tail and a red stick. His strength was extraordinary; it was like he wasn't human." Violet explained. "I watched him lay waste to the Army, they didn't stand a chance."_

" _It must be the same child that's been a thorn in Red Ribbon's side for a while." Gero deduced before his face turned dark as he asked "What was the child's name?"_

" _Goku. Son Goku." She replied._

" _I see." Gero said as he stood up and declared "Then until I die, I will avenge my son's death! I will create the perfect army of warriors with the strength to defeat Goku, no matter how long it takes! If I am to take revenge for my son…Goku must die!"_

Everyone now looked at Gero's vengeful expression as they realized what Tyson had told them before he played the video. "So, that was how the Red Ribbon Army fell? And how Gero survived Goku's onslaught?" Trunks deduced and the Tyson nodded.

"So Android 16 was Dr. Gero's son?" Erza asked.

The Chief shook his head "Close darling. Android 16 was based off of Dr. Gero's son before he chose to not activate him out of fear he'll lose him again. Ever since Gero lost his wife, he's been a bit broken, and his son was all that he had left. This was the last time Gero and his son saw each other before city boy's old man as a kid killed everyone at the base when he was a kid. Ever since then, the Doc has been obsessed with creating super humans to defeat Goku; hekept it in the memory banks on his Androids including me, his own Cybernetic body, and the supercomputer. I'm the only one who managed to access it." He explained.

"So you mean there's more to this Dr. Gero's vendetta against the young man's father that you were once a part of, Chief?" Jillian asked.

"Yes, dear. Dr. Gero's son was one of many, many soldiers killed by Gohan's old man decades ago when he invaded the Red Ribbon Army's base. Needless to say, it came back to bite those Z-Fighters in the ass harder than you could've have imagined." Tyson replied.

"So that means…" Weinheidt said and Tyson nodded sadly.

"Dr. Gero created the Androids including me for one purpose. Not to avenge the Red Ribbon Army but his son." said the Cyborg.

Trunks remained silent as he let what he was told dawn on him; that his future was devastated due to an accidental murder. Fairy Tail were having some mixed and conflicted feelings about this hidden truth; some accusing Tyson of he's trying to paint Gohan's beloved father in the bad light which they don't take it well, mostly Natsu and his teammates who are very passionate about it. "Is it really true, Mr. Tyson?" Wendy asked, being the most open minded and willing to hear things out.

"If you don't believe me, then you should see for yourself." Tyson said. "The Doc's voice was always in my head ever since he started making me and the other into metal men. That problem somehow went away when I came to this world, but the memories of it happening are still there." Tyson then brought another holovid, one of him and eight other people inside Dr. Gero's laboratory strapped to their enhancement pods with Gero standing in front of a large screen. Tyson peeked out to see a recording of Teen Goku battling against Piccolo Jr.

" _Gero's log, date May 10_ _th_ _757\. It's been six long years since the Red Ribbon Army; since Goku…killed my son." The scientist growled. "Since then I've spent every moment of my life building nine super Androids to kill him." Gero moved from the screen and stood beside Tyson's pod. "Goku continues to grow more powerful by the day; with every fight, every training session, every recovery, his power increases dramatically. I must complete my army before he exceeds my expectations." The Doctor then looks down at Tyson, expressing grief. "Forgive me 13, I know this torture for you and your siblings, but this is necessary. Goku is a danger to humanity, and so he must die…no matter the cost."_

 _Gero the presses a button, shining a light on another pod marked number 16. The scientist walks over to the pod and looks into it, seeing the face of his deceased son. He touched the pod and looked down sadly. "16 is nearly complete, but he may never be ready for his mission due to his many flaws. He has the power but his is too dangerous and risky to use, I can't lose my son again, especially to that monstrosity known as Goku!" Gero then walks away and approached his super computer. "Computer, proceed with cybernetic process, download data into memory banks and begin mental programming." The computer started beeping as it complied to it's mater's demands; all the eight victims being experimented on screamed in agony as the process continued and the programming was forced into their brains. "GOKU MUST DIE! HE KILLED MY SON! KILL SON GOKU! KILL HIM! HE KILLED MY SON! GOKU MUST DIE! GOKU MUST DIE! GOKU MUST DIE!" Fairy Tail and the Demi-Saiyan then shivered at constant loop of a demonic-voiced Gero ordering his Androids to kill Goku with the word "kill" written many times after Tyson switched his eye holovid of Goku's face with the demonic fire and erratic statics on the background. Even his Indians and Lahar and Doranbolt were unnerved and realized that Tyson wasn't exaggerating about Gero's programming mentally molding him into a killer Android._

"Dr. Gero has so much hate. So much anger. So much darkness, so much pain. I can feel it in his voice. He's willing to create as many of these Androids as he can just to kill Gohan's father. All because he killed his son." Makarov somberly noted.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm trying to make the great Goku look like the villain. The battle was between him and the Red Ribbon Army and he just won." Tyson clarified. "What happened was a result of a war, and one side was more powerful than the other. People die in war; those casualties were expected if the soldiers in an army are incompetent."

"Well that is certainly a disturbing back-story. How can you sleep like that, Chief Tyson?" Lahar commented.

"Yeah, if I had that on my head over and over, I'd go mad and needed a lot of drink to block it out." Mest winced.

"Then it's a good thing I don't sleep, and I can drink as much as an entire bar without getting drunk since my android parts burn out alcohol and keep me energized." Tyson said.

"Hah! You clearly love your booze handsome, but believe me when I say you can't drink that much! That'd be more than I can handle!" Cana declared.

"Well, I'd be happy to show that I ain't joking about that anytime dollface," Tyson offered while grinning at the card mage. "Just say the word and bring the good stuff."

"I'll take you up on that." Cana said, smiling back.

"You know, that Goku kinda reminded me of a certain reckless fire breather who causes so much collateral damage," Gray said while smirking at Natsu. "You could learn something from this flame brain."

"Shut it Ice queen, I'm not the only one who breaks a lot of stuff without meaning too!" the Fire Dragon Slayer argued.

"I think we can all learn more about controlling our actions from this Goku." Erza said and some of the Fairies nodded in agreement while others pouted.

"But Chief, why were you and those others chosen to be made into Androids?" Jillian asked.

"We were either descendants or related to the deceased soldiers of the army, and since we were young at the time, our bodies could adapt and get used to the cybernetic enhancements." Tyson answered sadly. "After the process was complete, we lost our memories of being human; everything we knew before being made into weapons was forever gone." Natsu and his friends were shaken by this revelation and looked at a somber Tyson with sympathy. Indian Knight Trio felt bad, realizing their Chief really had no choice but to bend to Gero's will since he had nothing else in his life that gave him purpose; the Cyborg the turned to the Demi Saiyan with a sincere look on his face. "Haircut, city boy told me 16 had overcome his programming to kill Goku and became a protector of nature and the animals instead, right? I believe 16 had deliberately cluttered the mental program with his interest in nature and the forest critters when he got activated so that he won't end up fulfilling Gero's directive against his will; I guess it worked well for him in the end." the trucker hat Android clarified to a stunned Trunks.

"And what about you Chief? Have you truly changed from what you once were?" Weinheidt asked; everyone wanted to know this as well.

Tyson nodded, "When I was first activated I only knew what the doc taught me from the Red Ribbon's philosophy and asked if war and segregation was the purpose of mankind. Then after I came here to this world of Magical folks, I didn't know what to do with my new life. A second chance was given to me but I really had no idea what to do it, that is, until I met Balderich Wilhelm, Head Captain of the 1st Custody Enforcement Unit and Amber Celadon, Head Captain of the 2nd Custody Enforcement Unit; they helped me learn what free will is, gave me a purpose and began to start over anew."

"By joining the Council. And if you hadn't, then we would have never been here in the first place as your Indian Knight Trio. You found us and taught us how to use this power of Ki we wield to do good for the people of Fiore." Hugo said in realization.

"Even though I only joined the Council because I enjoy wiping out criminal scum from Dark Guilds, I took pride of being a new man with a new name, and with three students whom I had come to care for and taught them well to use their powers for good and justice that I myself discovered was important." The Chief said as he clenched his right fist. "Android 13 died long ago when Goku destroyed it for trying to kill him and his friends and his son! I am Tyson Hammer, Head Chief of the 3rd Custody Enforcement Unit, Proud mentor of the Indian Knight Trio, that's who I am now!" he finished with a sad smile. "And I swear, I will do everything in my power to get your pals back and stop those scoundrels, bet on it!"

The Fairies and the Rune Knights smiled at the Chief's declaration while Trunks was left conflicted after learning the other side of his enemy that they are not as evil as he thought, and that he learned of Tyson's Hidden Depths. Of course he needed to get some time to think clearly since he has yet to trust Android 13 but the revelations of Dr. Gero's son killed by the great hero his mom told him of, Android 16 made in the image of the Doctor's deceased son, and the constant loop of Gero's voice screaming pain, grief, and vengeance for his son, he realized that Tyson had suffered just as much as he did from Gero's personal vendetta; besides, this probably what the Z Fighters felt when they allied with Piccolo and even his own father who were their greatest enemies at first, if those two could change a bit, then maybe there hope for Tyson after all. With not much time to decide, the Saiyan said "Alright thir-Tyson. I'm not sure I trust you or forgive you yet, but I'm willing to give you the benefit of a doubt, you deserve that much. So if you're really on our side, then prove it! Help me Save Gohan and Earthland from Rancor!"

"You got it haircut," Tyson answered.

"And don't call me that." Trunks deadpanned before looking to the Fairies and asking "So, what's the plan?"

"We should try to see if we can contact Gohan." Erza answered "Warren, can you use your telepathy?"

"Yeah. If Gohan's still got the communication card on him, we should be able to reach him." Warren answered.

"I'm not sure what you're saying but if you talk to Gohan then please do so," Trunks requested.

"You got it!" Warren said before placing his fingers to his head to try to reach the Son of Goku through the telepathy card.

"While we wait for a response, there's something we need to show you." Lahar said as he brought out the broken surveillance lacrima sphere he recovered. "This lacrima has a recording of the priest who regularly visited the Oracion Seis in prison, before he aided them in their escape." He placed his hands over the broken orb, using his magic to pull out the video from the lacrima and show it to the others. The video showed someone dressed in a Zentopian robe on a levitating chair moving towards Cobra's prison cell; the priest turned to glance at the surveillance lacrima, giving it a view of his face. "This man is Cardinal Lapointe, 2nd in command of Zentopia. He denied the possibility of anyone from Zentopia assisting the Neo Oracion Seis, but it's clear from this video that he's been working with them."

Most of the specters looked at the Cardinal with curiosity, however, Natsu, Happy, and Gray immediately recognized the familiar face. "That face…it can't be him!" Natsu said.

"That's impossible Natsu, you this seven years ago, didn't you?!" Happy asked his friend.

"Oh man, if this guy is really involved in this, then we're in serious trouble!" Gray.

"Boys, do you three know this man?" Makarov inquired.

"Yeah we do, that's Master Zero!" Gray answered.

"What?! You mean the former leader of the Oracion Seis?!" Erza asked. "Are you guys sure?!"

"It's him alright, I'd never forget his face!" Natsu snarled as he recalled his battle against the dark guild master.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken Dragon Slayer, Master is still in his prison." Lahar explained. "From what we learned, Zero is sealed inside of Brain and can only be released if all six of the Oracion Seis are defeated, including him. With Brain and Hoteye both still in custody, Zero has no chance of resurfacing."

"But this guy looks so much like Zero," Natsu said. "Could he his twin brother,"

"Impossible, we investigated Brain after the Tenrou Island incident, we found out he was guilty of multiple crimes he committed as a Dark Mage as well as the allegations of corruption and illegal human experimentation on the Bureau of Magical Development." Hugo explained. "If he had any relatives, we'd have a record of that in our investigation."

"Well, whether this guys is related to Brain or not, one thing is sure, he's helping the Neo Oracion Seis with the Infinity Clock." Weinheidt stated.

"Hey, isn't Lapointe the one who gave Samuel and Byro those suspicious orders?" Happy asked.

"Yes, and it's clear from what Natsu and Elfman told us that those orders were to capture Lucy." Carla said.

"And since Michelle had the Archbishop's gold seal, it's possible that Zentopia maybe in leagues with the Neo Oracion Seis since they needed Lucy for their plans." Lily suggested.

"But that can't be! Centurion was at Kardiac Cathedral to stop Midnight!" Bisca said.

"Yeah, and Dan and Solaseed fought Angel with us, they nearly lost their lives in that fight!" Gray said. "They couldn't be working with the enemy."

"I don't know, the Legion Platoon we faced were the ones who burned down the church building." Gajeel stated. "Though that girl didn't seem to like it, but that Guttmann freak seemed happy to do dirty work for the Archbishop."

"But Samuel didn't follow his orders, neither did Byro!" Happy argued.

"Does this mean that Lapointe is manipulating Zentopia's actions from the shadows?" Lily asked.

"Who cares?! It doesn't matter who's in charge, we'll make them pay for tricking us and taking our friends!" Natsu declared.

"Yeah! Let's get Lucy and Gohan back!" Wendy agreed.

"Excuse me, pardon the interruption!" someone called to the Fairies; everyone looked to see a group of elderly architects carrying an enormous case bearing the Zentopian emblem, who the Fire Dragon and blue exceed recognized.

"It's actually those actually guys!" Natsu and Happy gasped.

"Is there something you'd like to discuss?" Makarov asked them.

"Actually we came looking for Miss Lucy Heartfilia, we are here on behalf of the Fiore Archeological society you see," the head architect explained. Everyone immediately went inside to talk with architects on what they know about the Infinity Clock.

In the Zentopian prison, the Son of Goku continued to gather his strength as he meditated. _"Alright, I can feel my energy coming back! Just a little more and then I'll be able to bust out of here!"_ he thought. He then felt something vibrating in his pocket while hearing a voice say _"Gohan? Hey, Gohan! Can you hear me?! Please answer!"_ He reached in and pulled out the communication card he received from Cana before the mission. "Hello? Warren, are you there?"

" _Gohan! Are you alright?! Where are you?!"_ the telepath asked.

"Shh! Not so loud! I'm fine and I'm a prison cell in Zentopia." Gohan replied. "I was captured by Neo Oracion Seis and taken here. They have Lucy too!"

" _We know, and we think that Zentopia might be helping the Neo Oracion Seis!"_ Warren said.

"That might be true, the Cardinal of the church came to see me in my cell and took a sample of my blood for something." Gohan said.

" _Why haven't you escaped and come back?"_ Warren asked.

"My power was exhausted after my fight with Rancor, so I'm meditating to regain it for the time being." Gohan explained. "How's everyone back at Fairy Tail?!"

" _We're fine. Most of us failed our missions but we're still to fight again."_ Warren answered. _"Hold on, the master wants to talk to you,"_

" _Gohan, how are you kid?"_ Macao asked.

"I'm ok Master Macao, but I've failed my mission," Gohan said sadly.

" _What are you talking about kid? Chief Tyson your mission was a success."_ Macao said.

"But we didn't defeat Rancor or Racer and the Celestial Mage we were guarding lost her body link and magic power. I let her down." Gohan argued.

" _Well boy, Tyson and Mest said that you managed to save the Celestial Mage even though her link was severed, so she won't have to sleep for a hundred years, and it thanks to you."_ Makarov assured.

"But Master Makarov, now she has to see this world's destruction and our enemies now have full control over the Infinity Clock." Gohan said. "They want to use it to…"

" _We know boy. Those Architects you met before came to the guild and explained everything to us, with the request that we stop the Clock from unleashing the chaos."_ Makarov answered. _"Besides, we all need to make up for failing our missions and letting the Neo Oracion Seis outsmart us, and the best way to do that is to defeat them and save the world!"_

" _YEAH!"_ the Fairies cheered in agreement.

"You're right! It's time to take these guys down for good!" Gohan declared.

" _Hey Gohan, is Lucy with you?"_ Natsu inquired.

"No Natsu, she's not with me, but she's here." Gohan answered. "And so is Michelle. She's been a part of the Neo Oracion Seis' plan from the start, calls herself Imitatia."

" _We know, Natsu and Elfman told us. She managed to defeat Natsu and Byro before nabbing Lucy."_ Erza said.

" _Yeah! And she used Ki to do it!"_ Elfman added.

"Wait! She can use Ki too?!" Gohan asked. "Damn, guess Rancor's combat drug isn't just a hoax after all."

" _This Combat drug apparently unlocks the Ki inside you and merges it with the user's magic; it's what our enemies have been using to get the edge over us in battle."_ Erza said.

"Yeah, Rancor's the one who created it." Gohan said. "Figures only a Tuffle could come up with something to sneaky."

" _No kidding, plus that drink can cause some crazy side effects, so they'll most likely use it again since crazy is their thing. I don't suppose you know any way for us to beat that, do you Gohan?"_ Gray questioned.

Gohan thought for a moment and answered "Why not just do the same thing?"

" _Huh?!"_ the Fairies asked in confusion.

"Ki is nothing more than your own life force energy so you all must have it. If the Neo Oracion Seis can learn to harness and use their Ki alongside their magic, then the best way to counter than is to do the same." Gohan explained.

" _Is that really possible kid?"_ Gajeel asked.

"I don't know for sure, but it could give you the strength necessary to take on the Neo Oracion Seis, if the Indian Knight Trio gives you some of their Ki it should work." Gohan answered.

" _I don't know, that plan seems half baked,"_ Gray said.

" _Maybe, but what choice do we have?"_ Elfman asked.

" _I trust Gohan, if he says it'll work then let's do it!"_ Wendy said.

" _Agreed, it's the best plan we've got so far."_ Carla said.

" _Alright, now we have a chance to show those jerks what happens when you mess with the Fairy Tail Guild!"_ Natsu cheered.

" _Aye sir!"_ Happy shouted.

"And if you guys take care of the Neo Oracion Seis, I'll handle Rancor and their plans will be undone!" Gohan said.

" _By the way Gohan, a friend of your wants to talk to you,"_ Warren said.

"Really, who is it?" Gohan asked.

" _Hey Gohan, it's been a while hasn't it?"_ Trunks greeted.

"Trunks! Man it's good to hear your voice again!" Gohan said.

" _You to pal. Your guild told me about what you've been up to since the Cell Games. Never a dull moment for you huh?"_ Trunks said.

"What can I say? I live for adventure." Gohan answered. "So how ya been?"

" _I've been hanging in there, a little surprised to see enemies we've defeated are here though,"_ Trunks replied.

"Yeah, it's been crazy seeing the Hatchiyak here and working with dark mages and Android 13 apart of some police force," Gohan said. "But that the way things are here, so we'll just have to get used to it. By the way, I'm pretty sure I told Lyon not to tell you about this."

" _Well, he told me anyway, I'm glad he did. There's no way I'm letting you handle this alone!"_ Trunks said. _"So when we get there, you and I are gonna tear that Tufflebot apart for good this time!"_

" _Don't forget the Chief too ya'll!"_ Tyson said.

"It might not be easy, Rancor's fighting style has improved and now he has the abilities of the ghost warriors he used against us plus Raichi's brain power." Gohan warned. "He has his own personal grudge against us; it's made him stronger even with his powers limited by his handlers."

" _Sounds like it'll be a real challenge, but that's how it's always been."_ Trunks said. _"We've beaten him before and now were stronger too, so I'm sure we can do it again!"_

"Guess there's no talking you out of this. Alright, then get here quick so we can take him out together!" Gohan said before he dropped his meditative position and stood on the floor. "Ok, I've got some of my strength back; now I'm gonna bust out of here and see if I can find Lucy."

" _Alright, we'll be there as soon no we can!"_ Macao said _"Just hang tight kid!"_

"Will do, Guess I'll see you guys when you get here!" Gohan said before he finished talking and put the card away; he did a few stretches and moves before facing the cell bars. "Alright, time to get to work!" he said as he raised hand towards the bars and fired at energy blast at it; the attack burst a hole through the cell, allowing the Demi Saiyan to step right out. The noise alerted many of the Zentopian guards who quickly rushed over to where the half Saiyan had escaped.

"The prisoner's trying to escape!" one of the guards said before they all pointed their sphere at Gohan. "Don't move, stay right where you are!"

Gohan calmly held up his hands and said "Look, I don't wanna hurt you guys." The guards responded by charging at the Son of Goku, making him sigh. "Guess the feeling's not mutual." Gohan then dashed towards the guards and in an instant, he chopped all of them in the neck, knocking them out. Gohan then looked around to find a way out of the prison. "Ok, gotta find Lucy, but how do I get out of here?" He roamed through the prison, incapacitating more guards as he search for the exit.

Coco sat in her cell with her head face down in her arms; she then heard noise of someone pounding the guards and looked up. Her eyes grew with surprise when she saw the black haired Saiyan taking out Zentopian soldiers with ease. "Gohan, is that really you?!" she asked the Saiyan.

Gohan kicked another guard before turning to face the mage. "Coco, you're here too!" he said. "So, this is what they did to you after you helped us in the tombs?! Lock you away like some criminal?!"

"Yeah. This is the consequences for betraying Zentopia, and I accepted it." She answered before asking "Why are you here though?"

"I was brought here after I was defeated by Rancor, then your Cardinal came here and took some of my blood." Gohan answered. "My friends are on their way and I need to find Lucy fast!"

"Princess Lucy is here too?" Coco asked. "Then please take me with you, I want to help!"

Gohan stared at her for a moment until he saw that she was serious "Alright then, stand back." The Athlete complied as the Demi Saiyan approached the bars; he grabbed them and bend them apart, allowing Coco to step out. As soon as she did, she pulled the Saiyan into a tight embrace. "Uh, what's this for?" Gohan asked.

"I'm just glad to see that you're ok, I was worried how you'd be since the last time I saw you," Coco answered as she released. "Although, it looks like you've been through a lot since then,"

"Yeah, things have been a bit rough," Gohan replied while touching the back of his head. "Alright then let's get going!"

In the Archbishop's quarters, the Cardinal stood beside the elderly leader of Zentopia when one of the guards came to him and alerted him of the prison break. "Oh, so the Saiyan child as escaped," Lapointe said apathetically.

"What are your orders sir?" the guards asked.

Lapointe simply smiled and said "Let him be, I'm afraid that even with his power he's already too late. Real nightmare is on the verge of activating." The guard soon left the Cardinal alone; not long after he did, the Hatchiyak stepped into the room. "Ah Rancor, I hope you were able to perfect the serum as requested by Brain II and I?"

"Yes, with the final ingredient added, I have been able to enhance the combat drug; now, you all will have the great power you desire." The Tufflebot replied as he used telekinesis to levitate the new remedy towards the Cardinal. "Though, I advise you to exercise caution Cardinal, this drug brings about a kind of power no human should be able to handle physically. That combine with your magic, the risks are extraordinarily high."

Lapointe smirked seemed to grow from Rancor's warning "All the more reason to take it, cause what's power without the risk?" he replied.

Rancor nodded before turning away from the Cardinal and leaving the room; as he went a smile crept onto his face _"Enjoy that power while you can, cause it's not just the risk but the consequences that will be too much for you humans; and will all of you out the way and my full power restored, I will destroy this clock you put so much faith into and wipe this planet right off its own cosmos!"_ he thought as he clenched his fist. _"Even the Saiyans won't be able to stop me!"_

Back at Fairy Tail, the guild had selected a few of their strongest mages to embark on this job as well as a few others for support; they stepped out of the guild along Trunks, the Indian Knight Trio, Lahar, Mest, Chief Tyson, Master Makarov, Master Macao, and the architects. "I'm actually extremely grateful you've agreed to accept my request," Jean Luc said before addressing Erza. "Titania, I have something especially for you,"

"What is it?" Erza asked.

"Let me show you. It's actually an item that was discovered along with the clock hand at the excavation site, it's believed to have the ability to ward off evil you see." Jean Luc explained as he opened the case and presented a giant hammer like weapon to the Fairy Queen. "I'm certain that you are the only one actually strong enough to wield it in the way it was originally intended."

Erza picked up the hammer and held it with ease. "Thank you, I'll do my best." She said with gratitude.

"You got this Erza!" Gray encouraged her.

"Whoa, you see the size of that thing?" Alzack whispered.

"Yeah, it's huge and it's got the Zentopian symbol so it's their property just like the clock was," Bisca stated. "But who could've wielded something like that?"

"The way I see it, only the Centurion could be able to use such a weapon," Weinheidt said.

"Mind if I see that?" Trunks asked Erza who handed the holy hammer to him; the lavender haired swung the weapon as he examined it. "Hmm, not bad. It feels pretty strong and durable, and it can probably hit hard when in the right hands, but it's not really my style, I'm a sword kinda guy. I'm sure you'll find better use for it." He handed the hammer back to the Scarlet mage and she put it away.

"Of course we will do whatever else we can to offer our assistance, mainly by continuing our research on how to stop Real Nightmare." Jean Luc said.

"Thank you, we appreciate the help." Makarov said to the architect.

"Any ideas on how we're gonna attack these jerks?" Elfman inquired.

"Don't you worry, help is on the way." Cana winked as she held up one of her cards.

"Speaking of help, does anyone know how we're suppose to use our Ki to defeat the Neo Oracion Seis?" Gajeel asked.

"Well Gohan said we should harness our Ki along with our magic to get stronger," Wendy reminded them.

"No problem! We'll use our Keys like Gohan said and show those demons who's boss!" Natsu shouted before he asked "Uh, how exactly do we do that?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out flame brain!" Gray said.

"Trunks, could you or Tyson or the Knights show us how to use Ki?" Mira asked the Saiyan.

"We could show you, but it would take some time before you got that down fully, and by then you would have exhausted yourselves and you'll need to be at full strength if your gonna fight." Trunks answered.

"So what are we suppose to do?! We can't beat the Neo Oracion Seis without Ki!" Elfman said.

"Maybe we should take that combat drug too?" Natsu suggested.

"No Natsu, we must not stoop so low as to use the same dark methods as our enemies." Erza denied.

"You won't have too. There's away for you to harness Ki without necessarily using it." Trunks said.

"What do you mean boy?" Makarov asked.

"Normally you'll have to train to unlock your Ki reserves, however if I give each of you a portion of my energy, it should jump start you Ki." Trunks explained. "If I give you my Ki, it'll bring our some of yours from within; the energies will mix together and fuel your entire bodies, then as you progress in battle, the Ki will adjust itself to you physical prowess and add to your magic power. I believe this was what Gohan had in mind."

"Are you sure thus will work?" Erza asked.

Trunks nodded "Although, since this Ki came from an outside source it won't last forever, and once that energy burns out, your own Ki will lock itself back til your body can summon it on its own. But I can assure you, with this method, even if temporary, will enable you all to reach new levels of strength and defeat your foes as long as you wills are strong!"

"Ha! My wills plenty strong! No way will I let those punks bet me again!" Natsu declared. "Give it to me!"

"Aye, you got this Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"If Flame brain can handle it, then so can I!" Gajeel assured. "Count me in!"

"You're a true warrior Gajeel, I know you can do this!" lily encouraged his friend.

"If this will help us get our friends back and save the world, then I say we try it!" Gray said.

"A real man won't turn down something like this, especially at a time this!" Elfman said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose. We might as well try it." Erza said.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Wendy said.

"Wendy, are you sure about this?" Carla asked with concern.

"If this will help us save Gohan and Lucy then I have to do this!" Wendy replied and her exceed nodded.

"I think it's unanimous Trunks," Mira said. "I just hope we won't be shortening your Ki reserves,"

"Don't worry, I'll only give you guys a small portion of my energy, it'll be like waves to you but to me a small pool outside my vast ocean." Trunks assured. "Now those who intend to fight please step forward." Erza, Gray, Natsu, Wendy, Elfman, Mira, and Gajeel stood in line before the Saiyan prince. "Alright, now you might feel a slight tingle," he said as he aimed his hand at them; letting off seven energy bolts, he hit the seven mages, sharing his Ki among them. The Fairies' bodies glowed for a second before returning to normal. "There, it's done."

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked as he examined himself. "Cause I don't feel any different,"

"I gave you the amount of energy hopefully equal to you magic power," Trunks explained. "If either is larger than the other, it'll throw off your fighting style. That jolt you felt was the Ki mixing with yours but it won't surface until you've entered the heat of battle."

"But how do we know if this'll be enough power to help us beat the Neo Oracion Seis?!" Gray asked.

"Please, is there a way we can test out this new strength we gained, just to be sure?" Erza inquired.

Trunks shook his head "If you start to use the Ki now, you might not have enough for the fight. You'll just have to hope you current strength is sufficient for the fight." He replied.

"But if you're unsure, I can help boost your confidence," Jillian offered. "I can increase your powers with my Power Amplifier technique and it not only works on magic but on Ki as well. This could give the extra boost you need to match your enemies."

"That could work, if their magic and Ki are increased simultaneously, it'll make it easier for their bodies to adapt to the new powers and their physical abilities will be enhanced." Trunks said.

"I don't really understand what you guys are talking about, but if you can give us more power, than I say, hit me!" Natsu declared.

"What he said." Gray said and the other fairies nodded in unison.

"Alright, I'll just need my staff." Jillian said as she retrieved her weapon from the Sky maiden. "Now hold still, this won't hurt a bit." The Combat Healer raised her staff and let out several golden beams; the beams went into the seven fairies bodies and engulfed them in golden flames before changing into the colors that matched Erza, Gray, Natsu, Wendy, Elfman, Mira, and Gajeel which were red, blue, orange, sky blue, silver, dark purple, and green respectively. "There, that should do it. So how do you feel?"

"A little bit stronger, but not much? You sure it worked sweetheart?" Gajeel questioned.

"Wait until you've started fighting, then you'll really feel the difference in your strength," Trunks said. "Which means, we'd better get going!"

"And where are we going?" a voice said from behind; everyone turned around to see the Lightning Dragon Slayer standing behind them with his usual scowl.

"LAXUS!" the fairies cried.

"Heard a lot's happened since I fought that kid," Laxus said. "Seeing some new faces too."

"Who's this guy? His energy's higher than most of the people here." Trunks said.

"I've heard of him, he's Makarov Dreyar's grandson, Laxus Dreyar, the Lightning Dragon Slayer of the 2nd Generation." Weinheidt answered.

"What are you doing here man?" Natsu asked his former guildmate.

"Freed filled me in on what you guys have been up to, he practically begged to come back here and lend a hand." Laxus answered.

"So you're here to offer your assistance?" Makarov asked as he gave his grandson a stern look.

"That's right old man." Laxus replied, returning the look.

The two continued to stare at each other intensely while everyone just observed at their awkward reunion. Trunks looked over to Mira and asked "I sense tension between them, do they have some unresolved issues or something?"

"Laxus did something that endangered the guild seven years ago, Master had to expel him because of it. It was pretty hard for all of us, especially him; I'm not sure if Makarov has forgive him yet but he doesn't seem ready to let him back in yet. Laxus is sorry for what he did though." Mira explained.

The two Dreyars eventually turned away from each other and Laxus started examining the non members; his gaze went past Lahar and Mest who he already knew and landed on Hugo, Jillian, and Weinheidt. "Who are these three? They look like Rune Knights," Laxus asked.

"We're Hugo Steelsoul, Jillian Solaris, and Philip Weinheidt of the Indian Knight Trio." Hugo introduced him and his teammates.

"Never heard of ya," Laxus said rudely; he then turned to examine the Cyborg "Now you I recognize. You're Tyson Hammer, some big shot Rune Knight."

"That's right tough guy, Chief Tyson Hammer at cher service, and those Indians are mine." Tyson said while tipping his hat.

Laxus just nodded to the artificial human before turning his attention to the Demi Saiyan. "Who's this? What's up with his style of clothing?" Laxus inquired.

"Laxus, this is Trunks Briefs, a member of Lamia Scale and friends with Gohan." Mira introduced the time traveler to the Dragon Slayer. "He saved me on a job once."

"So you're friends with Gohan huh?" Laxus asked and he stood in front of the Saiyan teen. "I've fought that kid, so I know he's real strong. Are you as strong as him?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I'm pretty strong myself." Trunks answered.

"Is that so?" Laxus asked as he charged lightning into his right fist; the lightning mage swung his fist at the half Saiyan which surprised the Fairies and the Rune Knights but not as much as when Trunks made no attempt to counter or dodge the attack. Laxus stopped right in Trunks' face, raising am eyebrow at the Z Fighter's calm expression. "You didn't do anything, why? Were you just going to take the attack?" Laxus questioned him.

"Nah, I sensed your emotions and felt no malice in them, I knew you were going to stop." Trunks replied while smiling.

"Oh really? Well, I'm not going to stop again, so whatever happens to you isn't on me." Laxus warned him.

"Alright then, take your best shot." Trunks said unafraid. Laxus threw his attack again but this time Trunks caught the blow; the punch sent volts of electricity through the half Saiyan's body, but if he felt it, he showed no sign of any pain. "That tingled,"

"You are strong, you've got the same look in your eye that kid had when we fought. I can tell what you used to withstand my punch isn't even a fraction of your power." Laxus said as he retracted his fist. "So where is the kid anyway?"

"He was apparently captured by the enemy," Trunks answered.

"And Lucy too!" Natsu added.

"So we need to rescue to them huh?" Laxus asked. He then turned to look at his grandfather. "Ok then, let's do it. But let me make one thing here gramps, I'm just here to help. I'm not rejoining the guild, so I'm not about to start kneeling and begging for you to take me back!" he said harshly.

"Good, cause I wasn't planning on taking you back just because you've decided to help us." Makarov said with the same harsh tone. "Even when we succeed, you'll still be expelled brat! Besides, it's not up to me, it's up to the current guild master." The Grandfather and grandson continued to glare daggers at each other before Chief Tyson came up to Laxus and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey big guy, looks like yer not welcomed back here, so when this is over and if ya still got nowhere to go, how bout ya join us," the Redneck offered. "I can sense ya got plenty potential in ya, and with my hellish training, you could reach the kind of strength to challenge city boy and haircut."

Laxus raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Are you serious?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! NO WAY AM I LETTING ANY OF MY CHILDREN JOIN UP WITH THE COUNCIL JUST SO THEY CAN BE DICTATED BY THOSE STUCK UP MORONS, NOT EVEN MY GOOD FOR NOTHING GRANDSON! I'D DIE BEFORE I'D LET THAT HAPPEN!" Makarov shouted with full fury before facing the 4th Guild Master. "MACAO, AS SOON WE ALL GET BACK SAFE AND SOUND I WANT YOU TO REINSTATE LAXUS TO THE GUILD IMMEDIATELY!"

"Uh, well, I could if you want," Macao said nervously. Everyone else just watched silently as the scene played out before them.

"Uh, is this how things always go at this guild?" Trunks asked Mira.

"Usually yes, and sometimes it's even crazier than this," Mira replied.

"I see," Trunks said as he thought _"Gohan sure has found a special guild to join, they'll certainly give him the adventurous life he wants."_

"Ahem. I'd hate to interrupt but I believe our ride is here," Erza said as she pointed to the sky; the rescue team looked up to see a flying boat like vehicle with a Pegasus statue on the front sailing over their heads.

"What's that? A flying ship?" Trunks asked.

"It's the Christina advance!" Wendy said.

"Blue Pegasus, now there's some real men!" Elfman exclaimed.

"MEEEEEN!" Ichiya shouted as he stood at the head of the Pegasus and jumped off; he descended to the ground and landed face first. "My beautiful face," he muttered in pain.

"Uh, who is this guy again?" Trunks asked.

"I…am not sure," Hugo answered.

"Don't ask me, I've never heard of anyone like this guy before." Weinheidt replied.

"T-This is Ichiya, he's a m-member of B-Blue Pegasus. H-He's actually o-one of their strongest members." Jillian explained, getting her comrades and the Demi Saiyan to look at her. "W-What?"

"And how do you know this?" Hugo inquired.

"W-Well, I met him once on a solo mission I took. I'd rather not talk about it." Jillian dismissed the matter.

"Are we really counting on this guy?" Gray asked unimpressed.

"We need a ship to get to the Infinity Clock, unless you know how to fly this is the only way." Cana replied.

"Yeah, but he's so freaking annoying," Gray complained.

"WOULD YA QUIT YOUR BELLY ACHING AND GET ONBOARD ALREADY!" Makarov roared as he smacked the ice mage with a huge fist.

"Come on boss, you need to present yourself with a little more dignity." A blond woman called out from the ship; she jumped down to meet the Fairies, the Rune Knights, and the Saiyan. "Hey there, name's Jenny Realight, nice to meet you all, especially the hot guys that are here." The blond mage introduced herself while posing; she then noticed the elder Strauss sibling and smiled at her."Hey Mira, good to see you!"

"Jenny, it's good to see you too!" Mira greeted back.

"Mira, do you know this woman?" Makarov asked.

"Jenny's a fellow model for Sorcerer Weekly. She also won the Miss Fiore pageant and she's a Take-Over mage like me." Mira explained.

"So these are the Fairies that went missing for seven years? Well glad to see you're all alive and well." Jenny said as she examined everyone. "Oh, the infamous Chief Tyson and his Indian Knight Trio. It's an honor to meet you all." She then came up to the lavender haired Saiyan and looked at him with sultry eyes. "And who's this handsome hunk here?"

"I-I'm Trunks Briefs, n-nice to meet you," Trunks greeted her, feeling a bit nervous from her gaze.

"The pleasure is mean hot stuff, maybe when we've finished saving the world, we can take some time to get to know each other," she offered while moving closer to the Saiyan and putting her arms under her breast.

Before the Saiyan could think of a reply, the She Devil stepped between and gave a smile to her fellow model. "Now Jenny, I know flirting with cute guys is kinda your thing, but we have more important things to consider," she said before letting off a dark aura. "So please be serious here."

"Alright Mira." Jenny complied before she winked at Trunks. "To be continued handsome."

The Saiyan Prince blushed while Makarov and Macao were glaring at his back and thinking _"That lucky son of a gun! What I wouldn't give to be him right now!"_

Cana came up to the white haired model and whispered "Looks like you've got some competition for pretty boy," while smirking evilly.

"Cana," Mira growled.

"Ah Miss Jillian, how lovely it is to make your acquaintance and smell your enchanting aroma again," Ichiya said after getting out of the ground and approaching the rescue team. "Mmmm, smells as wonderful as I remember it, it even rivals Erza's, meeeeen." He said while sniffing the Combat healer.

"Ichiya, t-thank for the uh, _complement_ , but you s-should really focus on getting these guys to the Infinity Clock!" Jillian replied before moving away from the tiny mage.

"What exactly was your solo mission that you had to meet this guy?" Weinheidt asked.

"Don't ask!" Jill replied.

"Alright everyone, let's get on the Christina advance and take off! Our friends need us, so there's not another moment to spare!" Erza declared. The Fairies nodded before quickly boarding the flying ship along with Ichiya and Jenny.

"Wait, I'm going too!" Bisca declared as she came over with Centurion's severed Bolter Cannon.

"Honey, are you sure you wanna go?" Alack asked his wife.

"Yeah, gotta help out somehow." Bisca replied as she got on while struggling to lift the Cannon. "Besides, I'm sure this thing will come in handy."

"Let me see that," Jenny suggested. She touched the Bolter Cannon and it glowed before shifting form until it was apart of the ship with a chair for the sniper to sit in and an eye scope. "There, that should be better to manage,"

"How'd you do that?" Bisca asked.

"My take over magic allows me to control machines; I used it to make some quick modifications to the cannon and add it to the ship's weapon system." Jenny explained. "Though you'll have to man it since the boss and I will be focused on flying the ship."

" _Damn, I hope that chick doesn't use her witchcraft to try and take over me,"_ Tyson thought when he heard Jenny's words.

When Trunks was about to get on, he noticed that none of the council officers were getting on. "Tyson, aren't you and your comrades coming?" Trunks inquired.

"Sorry pretty boy, but we just came to report to ya'll about what happened and for Jill to heal the injured. We still need to report back to the council before we make our next move. I'm sure ya'll ruffians can handle things til we get there." Tyson replied. "But rest assured, we'll be there to lend a helping hand alright, you can't cut the Chief out of this riot!" The Cyborg gave a thumbs up and a bright smile to the Saiyan. "Give that metal man a good thrashing, but make sure to save some for me!"

Trunks nodded before getting on the ship; with all the members of the rescue team onboard the Christina, Jenny and Ichiya quickly went to the controls and started the ship. "Alright, we're ready for take off! Jenny, full speed ahead!" Ichiya ordered.

"Yes sir!" Jenny complied.

"Guess I'm staying behind again," Macao stated.

"My predictions are gonna be right on this time!" Cana guaranteed. "We gotta be very careful about who goes onboard the Christina Advance; cause we need to have a strong team on the ground too." The mages and the Rune Knights watched as the flying ship sailed through the air towards its destination.

"My children, please come back in one piece," Makarov prayed as he watched the ship from afar.

"Comrades, our assault on the Infinity Clock is now ready to begin!" Ichiya announced. "So away we go! Meeeen!"Everyone onboard stood ready to invade the enemy territory and rescue their friends as well as save the world from the Inevitable Chaos that has begun.

In the floating fish that was the Infinity Castle, Lucy Heartfilia hung helplessly on orange orb that was shaped like a clockwork design. She opened her eyes, no longer full of life or emotion, only emptiness; Brain II spread out his arms in rejoice as he exclaimed "Now the never ending nightmare can finally begin! Sweet chaos, suffocate this world with your embrace!"

Imitatia stood behind the Oracion leader as she watched her big sister's very existence be absorbed by the Infinity Clock; the giant clock let out a loud ringing noise that could heard throughout Earthland as its magic chains began to quiver and waves of magic were released.

 **A/N: And done! Whew, and I thought the chapters before this were long, I need a massage after typing this one; but I've still got more to write so I'll just take a quick break. Sorry if this chapter is too long for you, but I hope what it leads to will make up for it. And I hope ya'll are happy now that I've fully included the Son of Vegeta into this arc. How are things gonna go for the rescue team? What new abilities will the Fairies acquire now that they've added Ki with the magic power? Will they be able to save their friends, and the world? What's Rancor planning in order to regain his full power and will Gohan, Trunks, and Tyson be able to defeat him? All these questions and more will surely be answered when you stay tuned, next time on Dragon Tail Z! Until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	23. Chapter 23 - Time Spiral

**A/N: H**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail, Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima respectively do!**

 **Chapter23 – Time Spiral**

The rescue team on the Christina Advance were all staring out the window as they headed towards enemy territory; Trunks was standing by himself with his eyes closed and his arms crossed as he tried to detect his friend's power signal. _"Hmmm, I still can't sense Gohan's energy; if he's escaped shouldn't I have sensed him by now?"_ Trunks thought. _"Maybe he's trying to keep a low profile. I can't sense Rancor's power level either, what is that machine up to?! What does he want Gohan for anyway?! It's so frustrating not knowing anything! If Gohan's hurt, I swear I'll tear the robot to shreds!"_ The Saiyan teen's face grew angrier before he sensed someone in front of him and opened his eyes.

"Trunks," Mira spoke to the Saiyan. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but you seem troubled. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing Mira, I'm just worried about Gohan," Trunks admitted.

"I'm sure he's alright, he's a Saiyan like you. He's super strong." Mira assured him.

"I know, it's just…Gohan almost died before he got here and that was because I couldn't save him. After that, I hadn't seen him for a while, I wasn't sure if he was still alive cause I couldn't sense his Ki. Today was the first time I heard from him." Trunks explained. "And now I find out that an old enemy we defeated is here with my friend held captive. I don't know what the Hatchiyak is planning or why he would keep Gohan alive! This is aggravating enough; we've already lost Gohan's father, I don't want to lose him too!"

"So, you knew Gohan's father?" Mira asked.

Trunks nodded "He and my Mom were close friends and my father was his rival. He helped me when I was in trouble and needed hope. I was there when he died, he sacrificed himself to save his friends and his son, our whole world was in danger and he protected it to the end. Even when he knew he would die, he didn't hesitate and he didn't show fear; he just smiled said his goodbyes and died. That was just before Gohan and I came here."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must've been pretty hard." Mira said.

"We all took it pretty hard, especially Gohan. His dad was his hero, the man he looked up to and aspired to be just like." Trunks explained. "I want to make sure Gohan get back home and he gets to live a happy life. I'll make sure that he's returned to his loved one alive and well."

The Take Over mage placed her hand on the Saiyan's shoulder "Don't worry Trunks, we'll get him back and we'll stop the Neo Oracion Seis." Mira promised. "Gohan will be fine until we get there."

"Thanks Mira. For this and for your guild taking care of Gohan," Trunks said.

"No problem, we care about Gohan very much. He's a member of our guild now, that makes him family. He saved our lives, now we have to help him, and Fairy Tail always helps their friends." Mira said.

"Aww, the two of you look so cute together!" Jenny commented as she stepped in front of the two; she wore a short purple dress shirt, dark pants and long, light blue combat boots with dark bows. She also had on a long sleeved brown WW2 aviator's jacket draped around her shoulders and an aviator's goggles around her neck along with fingerless gloves.

"Hey Jenny, nice outfit." Mira compliment the blonde mage.

"Thanks Mira. Just thought I'd dress appropriately for the occasion." Jenny explained before looking at Trunks and doing a pose. "What do you think hot stuff?"

"Well, uh, you look amazing Jenny," Trunks replied.

"Thanks, that's so sweet of you to say." Jenny smiled at the Saiyan which made Mira a little jealous.

"We'll be approaching enemy territory soon! Everyone prepare yourselves, the hour is at hand! Men!" Ichiya announced. "Jenny, ready the weapons! Men!"

"Yes sir!" Jenny complied before winking at the Son of Vegeta. "Later handsome,"

Trunks sighed before clenching his hand as he stared out the window intensely. _"Hang on Gohan, I won't let you die! Not this time!"_ He declared to himself; he then turned his head as he sensed a power level close by. "Something's coming at us!" he alerted. The Christina suddenly shook as smoke came out of the back part of the ship.

"Hey, I thought you guys knew how to fly this thing!" Elfman said.

"Is there a problem?" Erza asked.

"We've taken damage to the hall!" Ichiya reported.

"Stay here, I'm gonna go see!" Mira said before leaving.

"Hold on, I'll go with you!" Elfman said as he followed his sister. The two Strauss hurried to the ship's deck where they saw smoke coming out of a large hole. "What do you think happened?"

"I think, someone did this!" Mir answered.

"Sabotage?" Elfman inquired.

"That's right." Mira said before she was suddenly struck in the face and knocked towards the wall.

"Mira!" The attacker appeared next to Mira before disappearing and reappearing behind Elfman "It's the Neo Oracion Seis!" he stated when he saw Racer.

"Racer," Mira groaned.

"Alright, sneaking onboard is pretty manly, but you'll regret it!" Elfman promised.

"You will fall, big man." Racer said before disappearing again.

"He's gone!" Elfman said just before many more holes appeared in the deck; the speed demon continued to strike the ship, causing more damage. "Manly attack!" Elfman shouted as he charged at the Oracion with his iron bull arm. Racer vanished and struck the Beast Take Over mage multiple times, knocking him onto his back.

"Too slow," Racer chuckled.

"You just made a mistake!" Mira said as she stood in front of the enemy.

"Are you as fast as me?" Racer asked.

"You wanna find out?!" Mira asked as she transformed into her Satan Soul form; she then charged at the speed demon, catching him by surprise as she tackled him off the ship.

"Mira!" Elfman cried.

"I can handle Racer on my own, I promise! Go on without me!" Mira said as she and Racer fell towards the earth.

Inside the ship, the mages spotted their friend falling through the air with the enemy. "Did you see that?" Wendy asked.

"It was Racer!" Gray said.

"And Mira!" Erza said.

"Come on man, turn this thing around!" Gray said to Ichiya.

"I'm sorry, but we can't!" Ichiya said.

"Let my sister take care of that guy!" Elfman said as he came back.

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, we gotta keep going! Hurry!" Elfman said with a pained look.

"Alright, but we need to fix the damage! Jenny, get to work on repairs! Everyone lend a hand!" Ichiya instructed the others.

"Please, be careful." Erza pleaded as she glanced out the window; Trunks looked through the window as well before turning to leave. "Trunks, where are you going?"

"I'll make sure Mira comes back in one piece. That guy's Ki seemed off to me, so I just keep an eye on her. Besides, she'll need someone who can get here to you guys fast. Keep going, we'll catch up later!" Trunks assured as he stepped out and ran to the deck before jumping off and diving after the two mages.

Down below, Mira and Racer were still plummeting until Mira used her wings to catch herself. The Oracion crash landed on a rocky area while Mira descended slowly to the ground; Racer immediately got up and tried to jump back towards the ship. "Stop!" Mira yelled as she intercepted him and tried to punch him. He blocked it and disappeared before she could kick him, he countered with his own punch that she blocked and disappeared again, evading another kick.

The Speed demon appeared behind her and muttered "You're in my way." Before dashing through the area and kicking the Fairy in the gut; Mira crashed into one of the large rocks and was buried. Racer then tried to chase after the ship but something hit him, sending him back down. He looked up to see the Saiyan Prince standing on air with his arms crossed. "Who are you?"

"Someone who won't let you go after them." Trunks answered.

"Heh! So you think you're fast enough to stop me?" Racer snickered.

"Oh, I know I'm fast enough to handle you, but this isn't my fight. I'm just here to watch and make sure you don't chase down that ship…that is, if you can beat her!" Trunks said before pointing to the rocks.

Purple beams of light burst out of the rubble before exploding and Mira flew out in her Demon God Halphas form. "Didn't you hear me? Stop!" Mira shouted as she dashed at Racer and tried to kick him but he dodged the strike, letting the boulder he was on get smashed from her attack. Racer ran around the battlefield with Mirajane right on his tail.

Trunks watched attentively as the She Devil chased the Oracion. _"Now we'll of Gohan's theory was right; if Ki and Magic can boost someone's power when synced together."_ He thought.

* * *

Back at the guildhall, the other members were waiting any sort of good news when Jet came and announced "Hey! Kinana's not here!"

"She's not?!" Cana asked.

"Is there a problem?" Makarov asked Macao.

"Well, her attacks have been happening more frequently over the past several days." The 4th master replied.

"It's not just here, Juvia and Romeo are gone too!" Jet reported.

"That's not good news," Makarov said.

Deep inside the ship, the three Fairies just reported missing were hiding as their comrades worked to repair the damage down by Racer. "Man that was close! That guy could've got one of us!" Romeo said. "I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this."

"Weren't you already planning to sneak onboard the Christina" Juvia inquired.

"Yeah, but my plan didn't involve escorting two ladies into danger!" Romeo argued. "If that Racer hit any of us, we might've fallen off the ship without any of our friends knowing!"

"Well that didn't happen, and now Mira is fighting one of the Neo Oracion Seis which means we can make it to our destination without any problems. We'll be fine." Juvia said before turning to their purple haired guildmate. "Right Kinana?"

"I can hear it. Your voice…calling out to me," Kinana muttered to herself as she leaned against the wall.

Juvia and Romeo looked at their friend and gave her worried looks. "Why did you to take her with you anyway Juvia?" Romeo questioned the water mage.

"She's a friend and I saw her in pain." Juvia replied. "Ever since she this situation started, she's been desperately trying to find answers about that dear friend of hers that promised to find her. I understand the others are trying to protect her, but keeping her away wasn't helping. Love is powerful, too powerful for those bound by it to be kept apart from each other; that's why when she planned to sneak away on her own, I had to help her get to her friend. That way I could keep her safe and help get past her pain."

Romeo thought about what the water mage said and nodded "That makes sense. Maybe going to see this friend is what she needs rather than just waiting for him to show up." He said with a smile. "I'm surprise that was the reason you gave Juvia; I thought it would've been more…related to Gray."

"Actually, everything I told you was the second reason I'm here! Standing beside my darling Gray and keeping him safe is my main reason for stepping into danger! Plus he's going to rescue one of my love rivals, I fear that she'll feel so grateful that she'll do anything to express her gratitude to him, and I can't let her steal him from no matter what!" Juvia admitted with a paranoid look.

"Should've expected that," Romeo deadpanned before he went over to check on Kinana. "Hey Kinana, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just a little anxious," Kinana answered. "I just hope I find him."

"Don't worry, if he's there then you'll meet him for sure." Romeo assured. "We'll help both you and Lucy!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the magic energy being released from the Infinity Clock had spread to the area around Zentopia, many people, places, and things were affected by its time corruption; at this time Lahar, Mest, Tyson, and the Indian Knight Trio were back at one of their bases reporting what they discovered through communication lacrima to one of their superiors, the Council Chairman Gran Doma. "You believe Cardinal Lapointe was the one who helped the Neo Oracion Seis escape from prison?" he asked Lahar from inside the meeting chamber.

"Yes sir, in fact I'm certain of it." Lahar replied. "With your permission Chief Tyson and I would like to investigate further and take immediate action."

"I'm sorry, but I simply cannot allow you to do that." Gran Doma denied the request.

Lahar glanced at his superior in confusion "I don't understand, can you tell me why sir?" Lahar asked.

"It's for your own safety; you don't realize the power that Zentopia holds! And now that we know that there beings capable of surpassing even Chief Tyson's power, it's clear what little chance we have against the enemy now." Gran Doma answered.

"Sir, please reconsider, we must stop the Infinity Clock while we still can!" Hugo insisted as he stepped forward. "It's not just us, but the Fairy Tail mages we've partnered up with; together we may have a chance!"

"I'm sorry sir Steelsoul but I cannot take that chance, nor can I put my faith in those reckless mages! You're all to stand down and hold your positions until further notice! That is an order!" Gran Doma answered.

"But sir…" Lahar was about to speak before the message was cut off; Lahar turned to look back at his comrades and sighed in defeat. "Well I tried, but no luck."

"We heard," Mest said.

"So that's it?! We're just gonna sit around and do nothing while the world is thrown into chaos?!" Weinheidt asked.

"Hugo please, we have to change their minds!" Jillian pleaded.

"Gran Doma is too stubborn, he's not going to let us go this time, even Chief Tyson will not be able convince him to let us take action, he's too afraid of how this will affect the council if we fail." Hugo said.

"I'm sorry; I can't believe the council has rendered us powerless. If we can't act in a crisis, how can we lead the Custody Enforcement Units?" Lahar inquired.

"Don't lose heart guys, if they're not going to help up, then we'll just do it ourselves," Mest said.

"Took the words right out of my mouth pal," Tyson said as he showed up dressed in his old attire before he came to Earthland. "How do I look ya'll? Been a while since I put on this get up again!"

"What's with the clothes Chief?" Weinheidt asked.

"Since those geezers ain't gonna give us the go ahead signal, I decided to act on my own." Tyson explained. "Tyson Hammer is off duty, which means no need to wear the formal clothes so that I'm not seen as an officer disobeying orders but as a ruffian doing what he wants to. I got a score to settle and I ain't gonna let anything hold me back from it."

"Are you sure you wanna do this Chief? The Council could have you fired." Jillian pointed out.

"If those uptights wanna take my badge, then so be it! I'll do what I do best, and that's breaking the nuts of lowlifes, it'll be better cause then they won't be anyone telling me that it's not fitting for a Chief!" Tyson replied. "Now, are you Indians in or out?"

"Of course we're in sir!" Weinheidt answered.

"We'll offer our support in any way we can!" Jill said.

"The Indian Knight Trio will always stand beside you Chief Tyson!" Hugo declared. Just then, the Rune Knights spotted a large black air ship flying beside their base; the Indian Knights didn't recognize it, but Tyson, Mest, and Lahar did. "What's that?"

"That's Grimoire Heart's ship! But what are they doing here?" Lahar asked.

"Relax ya'll, those are just some old pals of mine comin' to say howdy," Tyson explained. "Been a while since the gang had some fun together." The Ship parked by the base window and opened up; stepping into the base were two superior looking Rune Knights. The first was an elderly muscular man with a pair of bushy eyebrows, a defined nose, and large, light-colored hair. His height is taller than Hugo but would be shorter than Super Android 13 if he was present; he also has a bushy mustache and eyes resembling that of a lion's. He also wore a high-collared, light-colored coat over his Rune Knight uniform (similarly like the one Pantherlily wears in Avatar arc) with the Magic Council's insignia on the back and black pants and boots.

The second was a middle aged woman with milk chocolate brown hair that is a little longer than a shoulder length, and green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white cloak with hood, a blue beret, white gloves, short skirt with pants, long black socks, and military boots alongside a female version of a Rune Knight uniform dress and carried two giant pistols holstered at her waistlines; she also wore a pair of rose tinted glasses that is a Magic Power Finder Device, allowing her to read the MPF Levels of anyone she encounters. The two came up to Chief Tyson looking quite serious. "Yo, Balderich, Amber! Glad you got my message! How ya been?" Tyson greeted them.

The two still looked serious at the Cyborg before their faces grew small smiles on them. "Tyson, I'm happy to see you again. Glad you called for once." Balderich said as he fist bumped with the Redneck.

"Wished you'd call up to catch up on old times, but if we're happy to help in you need it." Amber said, embracing Tyson.

"Wait a minute, I know you." Lahar said as he recognized the newcomers. "You're Balderich Wilhelm and Amber Celadon, Head Captains of the 1st and 2nd Custody Enforcement Unit, respectively!"

"At your service!" Balderich said. "You're Lahar, Chief Marshal of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit. Tyson's told us all about you."

"And you're Doranbolt, the Council spy used to gather Intel on Fairy Tail." Amber said while raising an eyebrow. "Although, I don't recall the council ever deciding they need a spy to infiltrate a guild."

"Yeah, well, it was suppost to be to secret. Not many knew about my mission." Mest replied nervously.

"Hmm, if you say so." She then turned her attention to Tyson's subordinates. "So this is the team you've assembled, the Indian Knight Trio you called it."

"I am Lieutenant Hugo Steelsoul. It is an honor to meet the esteemed Captains of the 1st and 2nd Custody Enforcement Unit who helped Chief Tyson when he was a…" Hugo started to say before pausing.

"A heartless, mechanical bastard?" Balderich inquired.

"Something like that." Hugo replied.

"It was our pleasure; we did more than just trained Rune Knights and capture criminals. We tended to lost souls that need a path to walk down." Amber said.

"I'm Jillian Solaris, Corporal and combat healer!" Jillian said excitedly. "I heard tales of a female Rune Knight who was said to be one of the best in the Custody Enforcement Unit, but to meet you is just…incredible! You're even in Sorcerer Weekly!"

"Thank you dear, you're not too bad yourself. Tyson's told me about what you can do; you've got potential to be better than me one day." Amber said.

"Thank you," Jill said.

"I'm Philip Weinheidt, specialist and pro hunter." Weinheidt said. "So what magic do you use and why are you here?"

"Balderich uses a magic called Combo Star. It allows this ruffian to grow stronger with every blow he lands on a target. However, if interrupted his strength defuses and he has to start over; he usual number of blows are 50, and no one has ever withstood more than that, well aside from me." Tyson explained "This lady's magic is called gun magic where she can fire powerful Magic bullets of different variety for versatility; she's so darn good, she could even outclass our little hunter here."

"As to why we're here, Tyson called us to help with this crisis." Amber said. "It's a good thing he did, especially since the council won't be offering you any support."

"And with the Real Nightmare spreading throughout Fiore, you're gonna need as many Rune Knights to protect the good people while ya led the assault on the enemy." Balderich agreed. "So ya'll better not waste anymore time. Hear you got other mages on the already job? Better go lend them a hand!"

"Excellent! Now let's get moving ya'll!" Tyson ordered as he and his students prepared to leave. "You ladies coming?" He asked Lahar and Mest.

"We'll catch up; we still need to relay the situation to the other Custody Enforcement Officers." Lahar answered. "We'll be there to apprehend the dark mages when they're defeated."

"We'll be there as soon as we can, so make sure you beat those guys for us and the Council!" Mest said.

"Good luck Tyson, you've really changed from the lost soul we found seven years ago! Now go prove it!" Amber said.

"You got this Chief, do us proud! Then when you're done, you can treat me and Amber to drinks so we can catch up!" Balderich said.

"You got it! I know this great place with the best wine! Alright ya'll, let's move out!" Tyson ordered the Cyborg and his disciples then revved up their Ki before blasting off into sky to fly towards the Infinity Clock.

* * *

At Zentopia the followers were in distress as time became out of control; a magic screen suddenly appeared above, with the face of their grand leader. His eyes were void of life as he came to make an announcement. Many of the Zentopians started asking questions about the chaos that was brewing and were requesting answers; the Archbishop raised his hand for silence and began to speak. "Let me assure you there is no reason to be afraid, this is simply the only way, Zentopia can rectify the world." Many of the followers muttered in confusion about what their leader told them. "After the rectification, the world shall be reborn. From that point forward, it shall follow a new path." In his quarters, Cardinal Lapointe stood behind the Archbishop smiling wickedly.

Somewhere within the courtyard, Lady Solaseed was tending to Lord Byro's injuries as they both watched the Archbishop's speech before it ended and the screen vanished. "Thank you Lady Solaseed, I am truly grateful." Byro said when she finished. "So that what their plan is, use the Neo Oracion Seis to destroy churches, eliminate all body links, and plunge time into chaos. But will this truly rectify the world?"

"I don't know. Everything I've ever learned and taught about Zentopia tells me that this isn't a righteous path for the world to take, and Zentopia is in no position to lead if this is how we want to rectify the world." Solaseed replied. "Does this mean that everything we've done…is wrong?"

"I wish I knew. Attacking churches, fighting guild wizards, allying with dark ones and bringing about the inevitable chaos we're tasked with preventing; nothing makes sense anymore." Byro stated. "Until we get answers, we are duty bound to sacrifice the girl and protect the Infinity Clock."

"So what? We're just suppost to stand by and do nothing while the world is ending?!" Solaseed asked her comrade.

"No!" Byro answered as he stood up. "If that boy and his friends have taught me anything it's that I can't just follow orders without question! I will not stand around and let the world be consumed by darkness."

"So, what are you going to do?" Solaseed inquired.

"I will go and see to the Archbishop." Byro replied.

"What? Why? You know what'll happen if Cardinal Lapointe finds out you're here." Solaseed said.

"Yes. If am caught here, I will most likely be imprisoned or executed for disobeying the orders I was given." Byro said. "But still, even though I'm a traitor I have to speak to his eminence face to face; I need to ask him if this is truly what he wants for the future of Zentopia. I need to hear him say it directly. If this is what he desires…then I cannot abide by it."

"Do you want to get the others?" Solaseed asked.

"No, if they associate with me now, they will also be known as traitors, I had no choice but to come to you because of my injuries. I will settle this alone as too not burden them. I will stop this no matter who I have to face be it the Cardinal or the Archbishop. I will do whatever it takes to save this world and our doctrines…even if I have to take the Archbishop's place." Byro declared.

"Are you saying that you'll even kill the Archbishop if you have to?" the nun asked.

"I will do whatever it takes," Byro replied.

"That wasn't what I asked," Solaseed said. "Well, let me come with you."

"You shouldn't risk your status by helping me. I will be fine by myself." Byro assured.

"Even if I didn't believe that, I need to heal his grace. I was suppost to do so before this all happened, maybe that's why he's doing this." Solaseed said. "As a healer it's my duty to heal all those in need."

Byro grunted as he nodded to the nun. "Very well, the moment we sense that Lapointe has left the Archbishop's quarters we will go see him at once!"

* * *

With the Fairy rescue team, Jenny Realight had just finished with repairing the Christina Advance and the crew had resumed their journey towards the Infinity Clock. "Men! Hang on Lucy! I, Ichiya, along with this elite Fairy Tail team will save them from the enemies' clutches!" Ichiya announced as he stood at the figurehead while the other stood ready on deck; the soared through the dark clouds as it came closer to its destination.

"Oh yeah, you tell em! This is for my big sis who's taking on Racer!" Elfman declared.

"Be strong, we'll be there soon." Erza said.

"I hope she'll be okay," Wendy said.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Gohan's there too, and he's probably trying to save here right now!" Happy said.

"Yeah, the kid's real strong. He'll keep em busy til we get there to help." Gray said.

"Then let's hurry and kick some butt!" Warren said.

"You're extra manly for saying that Warren!" Elfman commended.

"Geez, talk about a bunch of idiots," Gajeel said acting pessimistic.

"My Christina Advance, the magic bomber, we are counting on you to lead us into the fray! Take us to the grand Cathedral of Zentopia! Men!" Ichiya shouted out while posing. As they got closer, they saw an explosion from nearby; the Rune Knights military had attempted to attack the Infinity Clock but were affected by the spell and their attacks were repelled back at them. "It seems the Military are in a state of chaos as well,"

"Is it because of the Real Nightmare?" Erza Inquired.

"Screw this!" Gajeel yelled as he raised his fist; a split second later, the Iron Dragon was turned into a frail old man. "That stupid clock, I'm gonna pound its face in!"

"Oh yeah? And how you gonna do that old timer?" a buff Warren asked.

"Whoa, when did Warren get so muscular?!" Gray asked, looking like a kid.

"That's a real man for ya!" Elfman said looking very flat.

"What heck?! Why am I a shrimp?! Did that jerk Dan hit with his spear again?!" Natsu asked.

"Ha ha! You got turned into a pipsqueak again!" Gray laughed.

"Don't call me pipsqueak ya icy twerp!" Natsu yelled.

"Who ya calling a twerp you fire ant?! I'll squish you right now!" Gray yelled back while raising his foot.

"Goodness, everyone looks so different now!" an adult Wendy stated in shock.

"You can say that again! You're all grown up Wendy!" Carla said.

"And you've turned into a cute little Raccoon dog!" Happy observed.

"Meanwhile, you've turned into a mangy old mutt!" Lily said, looking like a bunny rabbit.

"Hey Carla, do you think Gohan will like this new me?!" Wendy asked while posing.

"Beats me, but I totally dig it!" All the guys said.

"Stupid morons!" Carla yelled.

"Hey! What happened to my glorious twin tigers?! They're gone!" Jenny said as she looked like a Petite girl with a flat chest. "This blows! On the bright side, I can see my feet and my back has no pain!"

"This is bad, everyone's been affected by Real Nightmare!" Erza stated.

"Even me! I've become Moulin Rouge again huh!" a younger Bisca said a she looked at her hand mirror.

"Whoa, you look like the day you joined Fairy Tail!" Gray and Natsu said.

"Man, haven't seen this face in years! Used to love it, but now it reminds me of the bad things I've done before I joined the guild! I hope my Asuka doesn't go through the same thing." Bisca said.

"No one is how they should be! This is truly a chaotic situation!" Erza said before she noticed something. "Wait a minute! How come nothing bizarre has happened to me? Hold on, that must be it! Requip!" Titania quickly brought out the holy hammer she received for the mission. "I can use the weapon that Jean Luc gave me to counteract Real Nightmare's waves; it's said to be able to ward off evil! Here goes!" Erza charged at her friends and struck them all in the head with the large hammer; each one of them went flying with a large bump on their heads.

"Jeez, did you have to hit us so hard?!" Gray cried before he and everyone else change back to their old selves.

"We're back to normal!" Everyone stated.

* * *

Inside the grand Cathedral, Coco and Gohan were making their way through the halls; they crossed the stone bridge, the athlete led the way with the Saiyan behind her. "You sure this is the way to the Archbishop?" Gohan asked her.

"Yes. But why do you want to see the Archbishop?" Coco asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Gohan said. "I need to know where Lucy is being held and who better to ask than the guy in charge of Zentopia since I can't sense Rancor or any of the Neo Oracion Seis. Your turn, why do you want to see him?"

"I have something to ask him too. I need to know if this chaos is what he really wants," Coco replied.

"And what if it is?" Gohan asked.

"Then I can't go along with it. If this is the Archbishop's goal, then I will do what I can to stop it." Coco said.

"You heard the speech he just made, seemed like that should answer your question," Gohan said.

"I want to hear him say directly," Coco said seriously.

Gohan nodded as he understood her intentions; he then stopped as he sensed something coming at them. "Look out!" he cried as he grabbed Coco and jumped back, evading the large green head that nearly smashed them. The creature standing before them raised its head up and glared at the two kids. "What is this thing?" Gohan asked.

"He's Gatman, the Cleaner." Coco answered.

"The Cleaner?" Gohan inquired.

The green monster started laughing as he rubs what should be his hands together. _"This is gonna be fun, you've got a lot of magic in ya Coco."_ Gatman said to the girl before addressing the boy. _"And even though I can't sense any magic from you, I'm betting that you've got a ton of it."_

"Be careful, he's stronger than he looks," Coco warned.

"Really? Good, I could use a little warm up before the real fight." Gohan said while smirking.

" _You've really turned traitor huh Coco. That's not good; we're suppose to stay faithful to Zentopia's doctrines silly girl, that means we can never question it."_ Gatman stated.

"Is that so? And what if I say that I question it?" Gohan asked.

" _Then I'll have to teach you a lesson boy!"_ Gatman said as a green magic circle appeared at Gohan's side.

"What's he doing?" Gohan asked.

"Watch out, it's Rupture magic!" Coco said.

" _I can expand all the magic power in my target's body til they go boom-boom!"_ Gatman explained. The circle rotated around the Saiyan before it suddenly disappeared. _"What?! Why didn't you go boom?!"_ Gatman asked before raising his hand to try again. Three more magic circles appeared around the Saiyan but just as before, they vanished without harming the fighter. _"Why can't I make you go boom?! Let's try this!"_ Gatman then directed his magic circles around Coco; the athlete suddenly became surrounded in green light before exploding. She screamed as her body was consumed in a combustion of her own magic power.

"Coco!" Gohan cried before facing the Cleaner with anger. "What did you do to her?!"

" _I used my magic to make her increase until it went boom inside her, and as long as my target has magic I can use my rupture magic on them over and over again."_ Gatman said while glaring at the Saiyan _"But for some reason, my magic won't work on you!"_

"That's because I don't have magic in me!" Gohan answered. "I don't have time to play with you, and I'm not letting you hurt my friend again!" The Demi Saiyan then charged at the Cleaner faster than he could react and kicked him in the huge head; Gatman was sent tumbling across the bridge before he stopped and fell unconscious. The Z Fighter quickly went to check on the athlete. "Coco, are you ok?" he asked while offering his hand to her.

"I'm a little banged up, but I'll be fine." Coco answered as she accepted it and was pulled to her feet. "Why'd you say we're friends?"

"Huh? Cause we are." Gohan answered. "You're helping me to save my friend, so that makes you my friend too." The Saiyan smiled at the girl who looked surprised at first but then smiled back; Gohan's face suddenly turned serious when he sensed another presence. "Someone else is here!" The two turned to the left and spotted the conductor mage on another bridge.

"Aw, you kids look totally cute together," Mary Hughes said.

"Hughes!" Coco said in surprise.

"You again!" Gohan exclaimed as he instinctively raised his hand and prepared to fire a Ki blast at the mage.

"Whoa, hold on boy! I didn't come to fight you!" Mary Hughes said holding her hands up; she then dropped her conductor wand on the bridge floor. "See? I'm like totes powerless without my wand, can't use my conducting art without it."

"Gohan wait! I don't think she wants to fight, let's hear her out." Coco suggested.

"Fine." Gohan complied as he canceled his attack. "So why are you here?"

"I thought that everybody who opposed the Archbishop was like totally evil," Hughes explained while looking saddened. "But with guys like Gatman and the Neo Oracion Seis hanging around, I totally can't tell whose evil anymore! I'm totally confused! That's why I wanna go with you guys to see the Archbishop; I need to find out the truth."

"Hughes," Coco said sympathizing with her comrade. "Let's take her with us, please Gohan."

So you wanna find out the truth too? Fine, but we'd better hurry then!" Gohan said.

"Thanks kid." Hughes said. "The stairs to the Archbishop's quarters should be right above us."

"Alright then, hang on!" Gohan instructed as he grabbed the girls by the waist and flew upward; he then charged up his Ki and fired an energy blast at the ceiling, bursting a hole through it, allowing them to fly to the stairs.

* * *

Elsewhere, Mira and Racer were engaged in speed combat; the Oracion dashing around the battlefield with the She Devil hot in pursuit. Trunks stood by the sidelines, following every movement of both mages. Mira tried to kick the speed demon in the air but disappeared, evading her strike; he appeared on the ground then vanished again just before Mira could stomp on him. "Heh, I'm too fast!" Racer snickered when he was in the air again; Mira appeared right behind him, surprising him before he disappeared again. "You can't…keep up…with me!" He then sensed Mira behind him and turned to see their reaching out to grab him; his face became frightened when he saw an image of the Zeref Cultist guard doing the same thing in Mira's place, reminding him of his past fear. His moment of hesitation allowed the She Devil to kick him in the gut.

Racer quickly disappeared and began running away from the Fairy; as Mira chased him down, Racer saw the previous image in her place once again. "Stay away!" he cried as he jumped into the air, only for Mira to appear right behind. "Stay away!" Faster than he could react, she struck him in the stomach again, sending him crashing into the ground; as he landed on his back and glanced up, her saw that she was already standing there before him.

" _Not bad, Mira has proven to be much faster than this guy,"_ Trunks thought.

"Just give up the fight, there's no way you'll beat me!" Mira declared. Racer quickly backed away from her and began to snarl. "Faster…make me…even faster!" he yelled surprising the Fairy. The lines on this tracksuit started glowing read as steam came out of his mouth and he growled at Mira like a wild predator baring his fangs in anger. "What did you do?" she asked but he gave no answer. Racer suddenly vanished and Mira received a kick to the back from the Oracion. "You've increased your speed!" She tried to counter but he easily dodged her strike catching her off guard by slamming her into the dirt. Racer cackled before disappearing and surrounding Mirajane with multiple images of himself; the Elder Strauss was suddenly hit numerous times, crying out in pain while Racer continued to laugh.

" _So, the faster he gets the more sanity he loses, becoming wild and animal like."_ Trunks thought as he watched. _"Hang in there Mira."_

"Ok, I admit you're fast. However…" Mira said as all of the Racers jumped to attack her. She quickly vanished from their sight; Mira flew through the battlefield evading all the images of Racer that tried to catch her, proving once again to be faster than him. She suddenly appeared in the sky with the original Racer locked in a full nelson. The others faded out of existence while the real one squirmed to get free. She dive bombed towards the earth with Racer in her clutches, releasing him at the last second, saving herself as her opponent crash landed and made a large crater from the impact. Mira slowly descended in front of the crater as Racer got to his knees.

"I don't…understand...how are you…so fast?" Racer asked as he glanced at the She Devil, revealing part of his mask broke exposing his eye.

"Simple, I'm not running away." Mira replied.

Racer stared at her with wide eyes before his expression turned angry. "No…it can't be! NO ONE CAN BE FASTER THAN ME! IT'S NOT TRUE!" he roared as he pulled out the small veil with the enhanced combat drug; he quickly gulped it all down and tossed the veil away. His eyes turned bright red as his body exploded in a flash of light. "I AM RACER! THE SPEED DEMON OF THE NEO ORACION SEIS, THE FASTEST IN EARTHLAND!" he declared.

"What's happening?!" Mira asked as she shielded her face.

"His energy has increased drastically. He must've taken the combat drug, his Ki is completely unstable." Trunks said.

Racer growled at Mira before charging at her; her eyes grew wide as he appeared to have zoomed right past her and stopped behind her. Mira turned to look at him before her body suddenly felt like it had been struck a hundred times. _"W-What happened?! W-When did he hit me?! And where did he attack from, was it my back or front?!"_ Mira thought as she fell to her knees.

"What's wrong? Didn't you see me? I wasn't even trying!" Racer sneered as he turned to rush at the She Devil; he phased in front of her and moved his right fist at rapid speed, striking her multiple times. Mira slid across the ground before stopping and slowly got back up. "Hmm, that was about twenty hits and yet you're still on your feet. Impressive," Racer said making Mira look at him with a shocked expression. "Are you surprised? Maybe it'd be better if I slowed down a bit." Racer suddenly appeared in front of and gave her one blow after another. Mira managed to slip away from his attacks and flew into the air to get away; she turned to see Racer chasing after her and close behind while laughing. Mira quickly changed directions when she saw Racer getting close. As Mira continued to fly she noticed that Racer had vanished from behind her; she looked ahead and immediately stopped when she saw Racer was in her path waiting. "What kept you so long? The seconds felt like hours!" Racer said mockingly.

Before she could react, Racer struck her again but this time he stood right behind her and grabbed her tail; the Halphas was slammed numerous times before Racer dragged her across the earth and tossed her into a large rock. Racer cackled, believing to have won before he glanced at the Saiyan. "What's the matter? Are you jealous of my speed? Or are you upset that your friend was victim to it?" Racer asked Trunks when he saw his angry expression. "You shouldn't have just stood there and watch, now you'll have to face my incredible speed alone."

"You think that's gonna be a problem for me?!" the Z Fighter asked as he revved up his energy; the two stared down each other as they prepared to fight.

"W-Wait, Trunks." Mira said getting both males' attention. "I-I'm not done yet. I can handle this guy."

"Are you sure?" Trunks inquired.

"Yes! Trust me, I've got this!" Mira assured.

Trunks was hesitant at first, but he remembered the power boost received before hand and saw her determination; figured she must have a plan, he back down and said "Alright Mira, take him down!"

"Thank you," Mira said as she walked towards the speed demon.

"Heh. You're not just slow in moving, you're slow in learning," Racer said. "You can't beat me of you can't match my speed."

"You sure about that?" Mira asked as her body suddenly summoned a magic seal before being consumed by the light; she then changed into an athletically toned woman in a sleeveless skintight suit that shows a cleavage window, small demonic batwings on her back, and chains wrapped around her wrists. **"Satan Soul Form,** **Saleos!"** She exclaimed before she disappeared and reappeared in front of Racer, striking him in the face. Racer tumbled on the ground before getting up and looking at Mira, confused. Mira's body then started emitting a gold outline as she phased and punched Racer in the stomach before doing it again to his back and the kicking him in the chin.

"Impossible…how did you…get faster?" Racer asked.

"I got a little help from a friend," she answered as she glanced at Trunks and smiled.

Trunks nodded back to her as he thought _"The Ki has started to awaken from inside her, and now it's enhancing her powers,"_

"You may be fast, but only one of us can be the fastest." Racer declared. "So why don't we find out who's faster?"

"You're on! But know this, even if you're ten times faster than me, I won't lose!" Mira accepted. The two mages dashed at each other, bashing at amazing speeds. The two zoomed around the landscape each one trying to get ahead of the other; eventually, Racer got ahead of Mira and kicked her in the face, she quickly recovered and chased after the Oracion.

Trunks followed the She Devil and Speed Demon's movement with his eyes as he started to become unnerved again. _"Even with her Ki increase, he's still faster than her! I don't like this one bit!"_ he thought.

As the two mages sped across the rocky environment, Mira managed to get ahead of Racer but he was still close behind; Racer once again took the lead and was about to strike the Take-Over mage when suddenly dived to ground level and stood there waiting for her enemy to come at her. Racer looked surprised at first but then smirked as he dashed at her; Mira made no attempt to dodge or block as she was struck but the Oracion. Racer hit Mira a few times; she winced a bit but still stood her ground. Racer stopped attacking and grinned before he asked "What's the matter? Can't keep up anymore?"

"No, I just got tired of running." Mira replied.

"Heh, Heh, is that so? Well, let me give you the rest you deserve!" Racer offered. He ran at Mirajane who once again didn't move; Racer ran around in a full circle, creating multiple afterimages in the process. "Hope this isn't too slow for you. I can faster if you want."

"You're just having fun with your new speed, but like I said before, you won't be fast enough to beat me." Mira said as a magic circle appeared under her feet. "So if you're going to attack, then attack!"

"Alright then, I'll make this quick!" Racer said as he charged at the S-Class mage. Mira was then engulfed in a bright light as Racer struck; when appeared at the other side, Mira appearance had changed. She now resembled an 8 foot tall fully spiky armored Demon with four arms, two wielding Hellblades, one a staff and one a shield.

" **Satan Soul Form, Cocytus!"** Mira announced now in her new form.

"Another form huh? Well it won't make a difference!" Racer said as he charged at Mira again; the Fairy just held her arms up to brace herself for impact. Racer struck Mira, but she felt no pain; he tried again and got the same result. Irritated, Racer ran in every direction and attacked his opponent from all sides, but no matter how many times he bashed the She Devil, she didn't budge at all. Racer landed every blow he threw, but Mira still stood, showing no sign of taking damage from the repeated strikes. Racer then stopped and started breathing heavily as he stared at Mira in confusion. "H-How? At my speed, I should've taken you down by now? How are you still standing?" he inquired.

"Like I said, I got tired of running, so I decided to take you head on! And this form allows me to do just that!" Mira answered "My Cocytus form increases my defense, allowing me to withstand nearly any attack! You may have speed, but I've noticed that your attacks lack the strength to put me down! You'll just end up wearing yourself out at this rate, give up!"

"NEVER!" Racer yelled as he attacked Mira again; over and over again, he struck her wherever he could, but he still couldn't make her buckle. He then stopped, taking a few breathes again as he felt slight pain in his muscles; he looked at his hands to see that his palms were bleeding while his arms and legs were aching. He looked at Mira with fear who glared back at him; seeing her angry expression with her helmet on made the Oracion once again see the image of his past nightmare, the Cultist guard.

" _Where you running to kid?!"_ the image asked while reaching to grab him.

Racer face was full of fright as he cried "No, stay away!" He turned away from the Demon Take-Over mage and attempted to run.

"You won't get away! **Ominous Nebula!** " Mira shouted as she pointed her upper left hand at the Oracion speedster. Dark energy formed around her hand and began to rotate at immense speed, creating a black vortex; the rocks in the landscape began to crumble before being sucked into the demonic vacuum. Racer ran away from Mira until the vortex caught and started to pull him back towards her. Mira's power began to rise from her Ki increase and the vortex began expand, sucking more of the battlefield into it, even Trunks had charge his power in order to resist the suction force. Racer ran frantically on all fours but was incapable of completely escaping Mirajane's attack. "Stop running and face me!" she demanded as he was eventually overwhelmed by the vortex and sucked towards her. Mira then raised her upper right hand as she channeled magic power (and Ki) into it. **"Hellblaze Omega!"** She shouted as she swung her blade at the Oracion; Racer's eyes grew wide as he was struck with a massive blast wave that dug a long trench into the ground.

Racer laid on his side at the end of that trail, clearly defeated; Mira walked towards the dark mage looking at him with sympathy as he rose to his knees. "H-How? Even with…my speed…how did you…still beat me?" he asked weakly.

"I told you, it's cause I'm not running away," Mira answered again. "Unlike you, I'm moving forward. I have a purpose; the desire to protect my friends pushes me to fight harder, and faster." She stood before her defeated foe who just looked at her without answering. "If I may ask, what exactly are you running from?"

Racer seemed surprised by her question. "I'm not sure. I spent my entire life running; it's all I've ever known. I was always…running away." He answered as he remembered his time of torture and running in the Tower of Heaven.

"I know what it is; you've been running from yourself." Mira told him.

"From…myself?" Racer asked.

"Yes, you're fleeing from your past. All the pain, distress, and the fear; I know what it's like to try to escape it. I used to do the same thing myself." Mira explained as she recalled the time her sister supposedly died. "I tried to run, but it never helped. Believe me when I say, I understand your heartache."

"Everyone has something they run from," Trunks said as he appeared beside the She Devil. "Even me, I also spent my life running from my fears. Then one day, I stopped; physically could still keep going, but mentally, and emotionally, I couldn't bring myself to run anymore. I decided in order to get over my fears I had to run towards my problems, instead of away."

"No one can run forever, no matter how fast they are. Sometimes, it's better to stand your ground and face your past." Mira said. Racer looked at both of them, completely speechless; he then rose to his feet and turned to walk away. No longer having the strength to run, he stumbled with every step he took. "Where are you going? No one's chasing you." Mira said as she changed back to herself; Racer stopped realizing that she was right. "There's no need to run anymore." Racer's mask suddenly broke and fell to pieces, exposing his face; he started shaking as he felt relief of not having to flee again and collapsed from exhaustion. Trunks walked over to the fallen Oracion and placed his hand on his back; Racer's body glowed for a second before fading. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"He'll be fine. His life force was fading fast so I stabilized it." Trunks explained. "I think it's time we joined the others."

"Yeah, let's g…" Mira stated to say before she was cut off by a slight pain; she started coughing up a little blood.

"Mira! Are you ok?!" Trunks asked.

"I'm fine. That Cocytus form takes a lot out of me." Mira assured.

"Maybe you should sit this one out, leave the mission to your friends and me." Trunks suggested.

"I'm fine Trunks, really. I've still got some fight left in me!" Mira said

"Hmm, alright." Trunks said before he hit her with a small energy blast. "I gave you a little of my energy, you'll need it if you still plan on fighting."

"Thanks, now let's get going!" Mira said.

"Are you sure it's ok to just leave him there?" Trunks asked about Racer.

"Well, it doesn't look like he's going to be a problem again, I think we'd better take him with us just in case. Now come on, We have to help our friends and complete the mission." Mira said.

"You got it! Get on my back, it'll be faster if I fly us there." Trunks said as he picked up the speed demon. Mira wrapped her arms around his neck as he grabbed her legs. "Hold on tight!" he instructed as he turned Super Saiyan and flew into the direction of the Infinity Castle.

* * *

At the heart of the Infinity Clock, Brain II, Angel and Cobra stood at the bottom of the stairs where Lucy was still being held with Imitatia guarding her. "Racer has fallen; even with the combat drug's power he was still defeated." Midnight stated. "Angel, Cobra, you must stop them at once!" His subordinates obeyed and left to face their enemies when they arrived.

Outside, the Christina Advance had finally made it to the Infinity Clock that was right above the Zentopian Cathedral; the guards immediately spotted the intruders and took action. "It's Fairy Tail!" One shouted.

"Keep them away from the Cathedral!" the captain ordered. "Hurry men, fire!" The soldiers raised their spears and fired numerous magic blasts at the flying ship; the ship continued to get closer as none of the blast had managed to damage it.

"Ha ha! Never underestimate the Christina Advance!" Ichiya declared. "Jenny, prepare the weapons!"

"Yes sir!" Jenny complied as she aimed the ships guns at the soldiers. "Weapons ready!"

"Fire!" Ichiya ordered. The Christina's cannons fired numerous blue blasts at the soldiers, scattering them and knocking them aside.

"Oh wow! That was awesome!" Happy said as Ichiya looked proud.

Down below, Byro and Solaseed were watching as the rescue team invaded their territory. "Looks like they finally showed up." Solaseed said.

"So, we meet again Fairy Tail. Though my faith in Zentopia is wavering, I still have a duty to uphold as its soldier. I have no choice but to attack them." Byro said as his pet octopus came behind him. "Go Kanaloa!" The giant sea creature on land jumped on command and flew at the Christina Advance.

"You've got to be joking. You're octopus is no match for us! Men!" Ichiya declared. The ship fired the same attacks from before, but they jumped bounced off the creature's head.

"It deflected all of the shots!"

"Damn it! Jenny, fire the bolter cannon quickly!" Ichiya ordered.

"Right! You ready to use that thing?" Jenny asked Bisca.

"You betcha! Just tell where to shoot!" the sniper replied. She aimed the newly added bolter cannon at the Octopus. "One fried Octopus coming right up!" She pulled the trigger, activating the weapon and firing a massive blast of magic power at her target. Kanaloa easily evaded the blasts and stretched his tentacles towards the ship. "It dodged the blast!" Kanaloa wrapped it slimy appendages around the Christina Advance, capturing it in its clutches.

"What a perilous parfum!" Ichiya stated.

"Hurry up and knock it off the ship!" Erza ordered as she brought out a sword and tried to slash one of Kanaloa's tentacles. Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Laxus, and Wendy followed her lead and attacked the Octopus, but their attacks had no affect on the creature; Kanaloa started spraying its acid all over the ship, melting the mast, sail and the deck while nearly hitting warren.

"I'll leave you to handle the intruders Kanaloa. In the meantime, we're going to see the Archbishop and demand some answers!" Byro said as he and Solaseed left.

"We don't want a repeat of seven years ago! I have no other choice! Jenny, deploy spiral anchors! Men!" Ichiya ordered.

"Yes boss!" Jenny complied. Several chains shot out of the ship and wrapped around Kanaloa, binding him to the ship. "Now what sir? It's still attached to the ship!"

"I shall defeat it, by sacrificing the Christina Advance!" Ichiya declared as he stood on the ship's head. "Save yourselves before it's too late!" he said to the Fairies.

"Are you crazy?!" Laxus asked.

"But we can't leave you behind!" Wendy argued.

"Just do as I say!" Ichiya said without fear. The Fairies seemed hesitant in following captain's request as the ship continued to plummet.

"You heard him, get moving!" Erza shouted.

"Right!" All the Fairies complied as the jumped off the Christina and landed on the tree root that was attached to the Cathedral.

"Guess it's just you and me boss." Jenny said as she stood by her Captain.

"Go with them Jenny," Ichiya ordered.

"But sir…" she said before she was cut off.

"Priority is the mission, they may still need your help. I appreciate your willingness to stick by me, but our comrades need you more than I do!" Ichiya said.

"But what about you?!" Jenny asked.

"As Captain, I must go down with the ship. It is my duty as I take down this foe!" Ichiya replied. "Please go, show them what the mages of Blue Pegasus are capable of!"

Jenny looked at her Captain sadly as tears formed in her eyes; she turned away and said "Yes sir!" before jumping off to join the Fairy Tail wizards.

"Good luck, my friends." Ichiya bid them as the Christina Advance slammed against the side of the Cathedral, losing its left wing. "Men!" was the last thing heard before the ship crashed deep below the Cathedral and a pillar of smoke rose into the sky. The rescue team looked to where their comrade had fallen with pity and respect.

"Ichiya,' Wendy muttered.

"That jerk, acting cool to the very end." Gray said.

"Guy's got guts, I'll give him that." Laxus said.

"He was the manliest of men!" Elfman sobbed.

"Surviving danger is what Ichiya does best, I'm sure he'll be fine!" Erza assured. Jenny looked on with sad eyes but then nodded and looked up with determination. "Chin up everyone! Let's go find Gohan and Lucy!"

"Yeah!" they all said in agreement. The Rescue team quickly made their way up and entered the Zentopia Cathedral; there they stormed the castle, languishing through all the soldiers that stood before them. Suddenly, standing in their path was the newly repaired and upgraded 9 foot tall heavily armored Machias of the Legion Platoon, Centurion. "Who the heck is this guy?" Natsu asked.

"No way, that's Centurion!" Bisca stated.

"That's Zentopia's Machias?" Erza asked. "The one who saved you?"

"I thought you said he was dead!" Gray said.

"But we saw him get sucked into Brain II's spell!" Bisca said "How'd he survive? And why does he look different?"

"Who cares?" Natsu asked before jabbing a finger at the Machias. "Look pal, get out of our way! Or get burned!"

"Where there is uncertainty, I shall bring light! Where there is doubt, I shall sow faith! Where there is shame, I shall point out atonement! Where there is rage, I shall show its course! My word in the soul shall be as my bolter in the field!" Centurion declared as he stomped, unleashing a large wave of magic. "I am the one unbreakable shield against the coming darkness! I am the one last blade, forged in defiance of fate! And I am the one impenetrable fortress of war made to withstand and destroy all those oppose the will of Zentopia! I am Centurion, and I will eliminate all enemies of Zentopia!" The Machias then charged at the Rescue team with his fist ready; Erza reacted quickly by requipping to her Adamantine Armor and using her shield to block his punch. Centurion's attack shook the hall as Erza struggled to withstand it; her knees began to buckle as Centurion's power dug a crater in the floor.

"Leave her alone! **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!** " Natsu shouted as he socked the Machias with his fire fist, sending him flying backwards. Centurion shrugged it and used his flowing strike to smash the Fire Dragon Slayer into the ground; he then raised his sword and prepared to strike the fire mage. **"Ice Make:** **Cold Excalibur!"** Gray announced as he used his giant ice sword to block Centurion's blade. **"Iron Dragon Club!"** Gajeel yelled as he shifted his hand into a club and used it to pin the Machias to the wall. Centurion just placed his hand on the club and pushed against it, over powering the Iron Dragon Slayer until he was free.

"Damn, this guy's really strong," Natsu said.

"No joking, he took attacks from two Dragon Slayers and didn't even flinch!" Gajeel said.

"We have to break through, we can't stop now!" Erza said.

Centurion then cracked his neck before charging at the rescue team. Suddenly, Laxus blitzed right in front of the Machias, catching him off guard as he grabbed him. The two pushed against each other, their strength appearing to be even. "Don't just stand there! All of you get moving!" Laxus yelled to his former guildmates.

"We're not gonna leave here!" Natsu shouted.

"Don't be an idiot Laxus, let us help you take that guy!" Gray yelled.

"Now's not the time to act tough Laxus!" Gajeel said.

"Shut up! Just let me handle this guy!" Laxus ordered. "Don't worry, pretty boy gave that Ki increase too; looks like I'll get to use it sooner than I thought! Save your strength for the Neo Oracion Seis! Go now!"

"He's right! We can't waste anymore time here! We have to find our friends!" Erza said. "Let Laxus handle this, he's not an S-Class mage he's also a Dragon Slayer!" The others nodded and ran past the two brutes to continue their mission.

"You'd better not lose, ya hear me Laxus!" Natsu yelled. "You still owe me a rematch!"

"Heh! Sure thing Natsu!" Laxus agreed. When his friends were gone, he charged his body with lightning and kicked Centurion in the chin, twisting his neck backwards; he then jumped above the Machias with his hands above his head. **"Lightning Dragon Jaw!"** he shouted as he slammed his hands on Centurion, sending him crashing into a huge crater of the brutal impact on the ground, temporarily disorienting him. Laxus backed away as Centurion recovered and stood back up with his head turned 180 degrees; the Machias grabbed it and moved it back around before cracking his neck. "Weird," Laxus muttered.

"You are strong, I haven't been this damaged in years," Centurion stated. "However, I am programmed to serve the Archbishop and Zentopia; so I will defeat you and eliminate the interlopers before they get to his grace."

"Is that so? I don't really care about Zentopia or this Archbishop; but if you plan on hurting my friends, then you're in for a world of hurt pal!" Laxus roared as he charged lightning into his right fist. He charged at the Machias and punched him hard in the face with the ground cracking into another crater; Centurion just stood there, unfazed by the attack. "What the?"

"Analysis complete! Confirmed target, Laxus Dreyar, Dragon Slayer of the 2nd generation! Type of magic-Dragon Slaying! Element- Lightning!" Centurion stated as he grabbed Laxus' wrist. "Such element is inaffective against me; I have been extensively upgraded to resist lightning attacks!" He then punched Laxus in the gut, making him cough up blood before kicking him into the wall. Centurion then turned to chase after the others when he heard someone say "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?!" He turned back to see Makarov's grandson on his feet and raising his arm up, summoning a ball of lightning.

"Raging Bolt!" Laxus shouted as he threw the ball at the Machias; it exploded but Centurion still remained untouched. "Not enough for ya? Then try this **! Lightning Dragon Demolition Fist!** " He created a giant fist of electricity and threw it at his opponent; Centurion took the attack and was blown into the wall, leaving a Centurion shaped dent in it.

Centurion freed himself and cracked himself again. "Is that the best you've got?" He inquired. "If so, then you won't last long."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not done with you yet you walking piece of scrap metal!" Laxus said as his eyes were glowing with electricity.

* * *

Inside the Archbishop's quarters, Gildarts and Laki had managed to sneak in and discover that the leader of Zentopia was being controlled; there, they met Cardinal Lapointe who they realized was the one manipulating the Archbishop to serve the Neo Oracion Seis. Lapointe and Gildarts had revved their magic powers as they planned to fight when they were interrupted by the arrival of Gohan, Coco, and Mary Hughes. "Hey, Gildarts! Laki! What are you guys doing here?" Gohan asked as he stood between the S-Class mage and the Cardinal.

"I could ask you the same thing kid. How'd you get here" Gildarts asked.

"I got captured. What about you?" Gohan asked.

"We've been on a covert mission investigating Zentopia," Laki explained.

"I'm surprised to see that you broke out as well, Coco. And that you're here with another comrade from the Legion." Lapointe admitted.

"Cardinal," Coco hissed.

"What's going on? You like better start explaining!" Hughes demanded.

"And I didn't think we'd meet again so soon Saiyan. Rancor is right; you're just as resilient as your race is rumored to be." The Cardinal said to Gohan.

"What's he mean by that kid?" Gildarts asked.

"I'll explain later. Lucy's been captured be the bad guys and the others are on their way here; I came to ask where she's being held while the girls wanted to speak to the Archbishop." Gohan answered before he glanced at the elderly leader. "What's up with him? He looks so lifeless; I can barely sense his life force."

"That's because he's being controlled. And the puppet master pulling the strings is standing right in front of us." Gildarts explained looking at Lapointe.

In halls, the Fairies were getting closer to the Archbishop's quarters when Warren suddenly stopped and placed to fingers to his head. "I just heard Gildarts voice!" He said to his friends. "Apparently Zentopia's Archbishop, is being controlled by Cardinal Lapointe!"

"He is?" Erza asked.

"You mean that Master Zero look alike?" Gray asked.

"If that's true, then he's the one who used Michelle to trick us, and the one who's butt I need to kick!" Natsu said.

Unknown to the Fairies, Lord Byro and Lady Solaseed were hiding just around the corner behind them when they heard the conversation; neither could hide the shock looks on their faces. "I can't believe it! It all makes sense now! The Archbishop's condition, why Lapointe has been giving out his orders, why no one was allowed to see him, and why everything Zentopia and the Legion Platoon have been doing up to this point has been contradictory to all of our doctrines! It's all been nothing but an enormous lie, a scam! And Lapointe has been responsible; he used his holiness as a mindless slave and used us to do the Neo Oracion Seis' dirty work!" Solaseed growled.

"All this time he's been using his authority to take advantage of everyone, including me and the Legion Platoon!" Byro said as his turned seething with anger. "I will not let him get away with this!"

"If you're controlling the Archbishop, that means Zentopia isn't working with the Neo Oracion Seis!" Gohan said. "You're been deceiving them just like Imitatia tricked us!"

"So, what of it boy?" Lapointe inquired.

"So you'd better tell us where you're keeping Lucy, or else I'm gonna make you pay!" Gohan declared as he powered up.

"Hang on kid," Gildarts told him and he stepped in front of him. "If anyone's gonna fight him it should be me. You just focus on saving Lucy."

"Fine. I need to save my strength for Rancor anyway." Gohan said.

Lapointe chuckled, feeling amused as he poked his glasses "You don't have a prayer." He stated. A magic circle suddenly appeared under Laki before releasing a dark green stream of magic energy that wrapped itself around the wood mage and stopped at her throat with a sharp point held at it.

"Laki!" Gildarts exclaimed.

"Since you two wanna fight so bad, let's see what happens when you exchange blows with each other!" Lapointe said. "Yes, two of the strongest members of Fairy Tail, that should make for an interesting battle, don't you agree?"

"You won't manipulate us again! You're the enemy here!" Gohan said. "So fight us yourself!"

"Defy me and I will kill the young lady," the Cardinal warned them.

"Let her go! She's got nothing to do with this!" Gildarts demanded.

Lapointe smiled as he had the upperhand; he suddenly gasped when he felt as though his magic was being sucked right out of him. The magic restraining Laki immediately vanished, surprising the others. The Cardinal turned around to find an enraged Lord Byro standing behind him with his hands emitting white light while aimed at him. "What?! Byro?!" the Cardinal exclaimed in shock.

"Lord Byro!" Coco and Hughes said.

"He must've nullified Lapointe's magic!" Gohan stated.

"Coco! Mary Hughes! Help me place the Archbishop in bed so I can treat him!" Solaseed as she rushed inside.

"Lady Solaseed!" Coco said in surprise.

"Yes ma'am! C'mon Coco!" Hughes said as she and the athlete quickly helped up their elderly leader and placed him on his resting bed.

"How dare you try to deceive me Lapointe!" Byro said, his voice full of rage and hatred to the Cardinal. In that instant, the Ace of Fairy Tail dashed towards the sinister Cardinal and prepared to sock him. **"Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!"** He shouted as he threw his right fist powered by crash magic at Zero clone; The Cardinal looked surprised for a moment before smirking as he simply held out his hand and caught Gildarts' fist. The force caused a massive shockwave that shock the whole chamber; everyone inside aside from Gohan immediately shielded their faces from the flying debris.

"They're coming! They'll be here soon!" Imitatia said as she sensed the presence of the rescue team inside the Cathedral. "You're beloved friends are on their way to you."

"My friends? From Fairy Tail?" Lucy inquired in surprise. "So they were able to get inside?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid they're all going to die!" Imitatia told her.

"What do you mean? Why are they going to die?" Lucy asked the deceiver.

"Because of you bug sister. They care about you too much, so I'm going to have to kill them!" Imitatia declared.

"Michelle, you can't! Why?" Lucy questioned.

"I refuse to let anyone else have you! Big sister, you belong to me!" Imitatia stated possessively. "I won't let anyone, not even that Saiyan take you way from me!"

"Michelle…" Lucy muttered sadly.

 **A/N: Alright, now we're getting to the good stuff! Time for Fairy to fight big time, and man are the battles gonna be awesome! You've had a first demonstration about what Ki fused with magic can do for the good guys but will it be enough for the rest to best the Neo Oracion Seis? And what was with Lapointe blocking Gildarts punch? You've probably already guessed by now though. Stay tuned, things are gonna get more exciting from here! Until then, TTFN AntiHero out!**


	24. Chapter 24 - To the Infinity Castle

**A/N: We're back and it's time for another chapter of Dragon Tail Z! Thanks for the reviews and hope you like this chapter;**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail, Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima respectively do!**

 **Chapter24 – To the Infinity Castle!**

Gohan, Coco, Laki, Solaseed, Mary Hughes and Byro stared in shock as the Cardinal was smirking from his ability to block Gildarts attack despite being stripped of his magic; the Ace of Fairy Tail remained still as his fist twitched in Lapointe's hand. "Is that the best you can do Gildarts?" Lapointe inquired. "I expected more from Fairy Tail's strongest human member." The Cardinal then twisted Gildarts wrist before palm striking him in the chest, sending him flying backward into another part of the room.

"Gildarts!" Gohan and Laki cried.

"Lapointe!" Byro cried as he raised his hand imbued with magic. **"Divine Sword!"** He swung his hand down on the Cardinal who just grabbed his wrist before he could finish the attack. "Impossible! No one has done this before!"

"You have served you purpose Lord Byro, even if you know the truth now, it doesn't matter since you can't stop me!" Lapointe declared as he pointed his hand at Byro's feet. "Now that I don't need you, the Archbishop, or the Legion Platoon, you're all free to die as the world is plunged into darkness! Haaah!" He yelled, releasing a kiai that cracked the ground beneath Lord Byro, causing the Legion leader to fall into a room under them and be buried under piles of rubble.

"Lord Byro!" the females of the Legion Platoon yelled.

"T-That was kiai! A low level one!" Gohan muttered.

"What's that?" Laki asked.

"It's a Ki technique." Gohan replied.

"You mean that energy you use to fight?! Are you saying that Cardinal Lapointe can use Ki?!" Laki questioned.

The Demi Saiyan glared at the Cardinal who was just clenching his from feeling his new power. "Where did you learn to do that?!" he asked.

"I think we both know the answer to that question boy," Lapointe replied while smirking. At that moment, the rescue team had entered into the Archbishop's chamber. "Ah, company."

"Gohan! You're ok!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Yeah, for now anyway." Gohan said.

"Save the reunion for later. Wendy tend to the Archbishop!" Erza instructed.

"Right!" Wendy complied as she went over to the Zentopian leader.

"Is this him?" Carla asked.

"Who are you?" Solaseed inquired.

"It's alright, I'm Wendy. I can help, I know some healing magic." Wendy explained as she placed her hands over the Archbishop and released her magic.

" _Wow! She's pretty good for a child,"_ Solaseed thought. "Thank you child, let us heal the Archbishop together." She said while adding her healing magic to Wendy's.

"There's no doubt about it! Even if you're not him, you look and smell just like Master Zero!" Natsu said to Lapointe.

"But this guy can't be him can he?!" Gray asked.

"That's right! I am merely a product of what Master Zero left behind, and I have his will within me." The Cardinal clarified. "And I know who some of you are too. Natsu Dragneel aka the Salamander, the Fire Dragon Slayer. Gray Fullbuster, the Ice mage and disciple to Ur. Erza Scarlet aka Titania, the Fairy Queen. And Wendy Marvel, Maiden of the Sky, the Sky Dragon Slayer."

"He even knows our names, he must be connected to Zero somehow," Erza said.

"Probably just from his pals that we beat seven years ago!" Gray said.

"I don't really if this guys is Zero or not! But he must be the one responsible for using the phony Michelle to trick us and capturing Lucy!" Natsu deduced as he set his fist on fire. "So I'm gonna burn him to a crisp!"

"Hang on Natsu! This guy can use Ki like me, he just knocked both Gildarts and Byro aside without breaking a sweat!" Gohan warned.

"What?! He just beat Gildarts?!" Gray asked.

"How can he be that strong?!" Erza said.

"So, you took it as well. The Combat drug." Gohan guessed.

"Yes, but this one was even greater than the one the Neo Oracion Seis used earlier. It was enhanced to bestow upon us even greater powers." Lapointe said.

"That doesn't explain why you need a sample of my blood!" Gohan said.

"Heh! Where do you think the component needed to enhance the drug came from?" Lapointe asked. "Rancor has told us a lot about the Saiyan race, including one of the secrets to their unfathomable power, the S-Cells!"

"S-Cells?" Gohan asked.

"Long before the extinction of both races, the Tuffles sought to discover the source of Saiyan strength; through many research, experiments and sacrifices, they learned what made Saiyans so unique in battle. Microscopic cells found in Saiyan bodies that increased as the Saiyans grew stronger, the S-Cells they decided to call it." Lapointe explained. "For years, the Tuffles tried to harness these cells and weaponize them; but progress was slow and the Saiyans they used as test subjects that supplied the cells died from failed experiments. Then, the Tuffles learned something, it wasn't the strongest or ruthless of Saiyans that possessed the greater amount of these cells, it was the compassionate ones."

"What does that mean?" Gohan asked.

"The S-Cells were rarely found in the most vicious elite Saiyan warriors, and those with them were minimum amounts at best; but in the bodies of soft-hearted low-levels, the cells were bountiful! Because of their sentiment, the power the cells stored was hidden away, but if the Saiyan was put through an emotion stress, such as anger or sadness, the powers could be forced out and magnified! The Tuffles gathered as many low-level Saiyans they could find and put them through a lot of experiments, painful experiments! Not many of them lasted very long!" Lapointe said with a sinister smile. "Evidently, this is what led to the war between the two races once the Saiyans found out how the Tuffles were abusing their comrades."

The mages looked disgusted after hearing the pain the Tuffles forced on the Saiyans. "Disgraceful!" Erza exclaimed. "To resort to using great warriors as test subjects is wicked!"

"Those Truffle jerks got what they deserved if you ask me!" Natsu said.

"Too bad with all their intelligence they couldn't use it for anything better instead on wasting it on a project that was never finished!" Gajeel said.

"Oh but it was finished." Lapointe corrected. "Even after the Tuffle race was massacred, Dr. Raichi continued his research with the cells he had stored away; when they died out, he needed a blood sample from another Saiyan to continue."

"Kinda hard to do that when the Saiyan Race was brought to extinction." Gray said.

"True, but there were survivors; and fortunately, one of them was the strongest of all Saiyan warriors! A kind hearted low-level soldier whose potential was nearly unlimited! With every fight, he grew stronger and he wasn't a bloodthirsty killer like his people, just a gentle spirited simpleton; which meant his S-Cells had to be plentiful!" Lapointe said as he gazed at Gohan. "You know who I mean, don't you boy?"

Gohan nodded "My father,"

"That's right; though he's not here, Rancor learned another secret of the S-Cells. They can be passed down through genetics, even among half-breeds like yourself." Lapointe said. "The first time you fought Rancor, he realized you must've had a sufficient amount of S-Cells in you since they're required for you to acquire those super forms. All we needed was a sample of your blood to obtain these cells, and with Brain's research along with Rancor's Tuffle intellect, we managed to perfect the combat drug and acquire the power you Saiyans wield." To prove his point, the Cardinal held up his hand as made it glow with Ki. "With Ki and magic together, the Neo Oracion Seis will grow stronger and stronger with every second we're in battle our emotions, our will, our desires will fuel this new power and make us unstoppable!" He then thrust his hand forward at Gohan and his friends, sending a stronger Kiai at them.

Gohan countered by raising his hand and deflecting the shockwave. "Is this the unstoppable power you desired? Cause I barely felt that!"

"Fool! Our power comes from the desires within, and ours surpasses anyone else's!" Lapointe declared.

"And that's why you'll fail! True power comes in response to a need, not a desire!" Gohan stated.

The Cardinal frowned before he chuckled and said "Struggle all you want insects, the Real Nightmare already has you in its web. You're too late. As of today the world you knew has already ended. The Infinity Clock fuels the great power that Zentopia was founded upon, and that power has not diminished since it was imprisoned. But back then it was known to all as the Infinity Castle."

"Wow, ho original," Gray said sarcastically.

"Every one hundred years during Zentopia's founding festival, the Infinity Castle releases every ounce of pure magic power it has accumulated. A century's worth of power ripe for the taking." Lapointe explained; as he spoke, a small gray exceed fly above everyone and hid behind a statue.

"You caused all that suffering just so you could steal magic?!" Happy asked.

"No you fool; my only goal is to revert the world to chaos! There is no higher purpose to me!" Lapointe declared. "With Real Nightmare in my control, I can return the world to anarchy that reigned before Zentopia's time! The true heart of man with all its greed and hatred will be allowed to flourish once again!"

"Neville must've realized this could happen, so he created a seal that spread across generations." Carla deduced.

"But what does any of that have to do with Lucy?" Wendy questioned.

"The Infinity Clock was originally sealed away with the power of a Celestial wizard and thus the only way to control it is with that very same power." Lapointe answered. "Your friend's magic will be used to bind the Infinity Castle to our will."

"You'll never get the chance, cause we're about to stop you right now!" Gohan said.

"Oh really? Then please don't let me sway you from saving the day! All you have to do to stop the clock is to kill the girl!" the Cardinal revealed smugly. "But I know you won't do that, which means Zentopia's Armageddon, its chaos it inevitable!" Lapointe started laughing maniacally, convinced his victory was assured.

"SHUT UP!" Natsu shouted as he charged at the Cardinal with his fist on fire; Lapointe just blocked his assault. "We're gonna stop the Infinity Clock and without killing Lucy! We'll never sacrifice our friend! We'll save her, just watch!" Natsu proceed to throw more fiery punches at the fake Zero but he easily blocked all of them.

"Ha ha ha! How do you plan on stopping us if you can't even land a hit on me?!" the Cardinal asked as he smacked Natsu back towards his friends where he was caught by Gohan. "Face it Dragon Slayer, with the magic from the Infinity Castle, the power of Ki at our disposal and the Celestial Wizard as our sacrifice, you stand no chance!"

"We've beaten you guys before with our magic!" Gray said.

"And now we've also add Ki to our abilities!" Erza added.

"So all we gotta do is save Lucy and beat you to stop this thing!" Natsu said. The three mages then acted on their words by charging at the Cardinal. Lapointe was suddenly glowing with a green and yellow aura; he held out his hand, summoning a green magic sphere that extended to the shape of a whip. He swung the whip, striking Erza, Gray and Natsu before they could get to him.

"It seems my magic has returned, and with the Ki from the combat drug enhancing it, I am stronger than you can ever imagine!" Lapointe declared while clenching his fist. "It's a shame you're unable to do the same with your Ki, otherwise you might've stood a chance!"

The Fairies glared at the Cardinal before Gohan stepped in front of them. "Let me take him guys," he said.

"Heh! I wonder how my newfound strength will fair against the might of a Saiyan," Lapointe, intrigued. Before either of them could make a move, someone said "Wait a minute," Everyone turned to see Gildarts walking towards the Cardinal. "Hmm, every though that blow wasn't meant to be fatal, I'm surprised you can stand after taking it."

Fairy Tail's Ace stood in front of the Demi Saiyan. "I'm taking this guy."

"Are you sure Gildarts?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah. He just caught me off guard with that cheap shot, but it won't happen again." Gildarts assured.

"Oh? And what makes you think you stand a chance now?" Lapointe inquired.

"Because, I'm dying to wipe that smug look off your face man!" Gildarts said. He then throws a crash-empowered punch which causes two magic circles to form between him and Lapointe, with two magic powers colliding; the two pushed against each other Gildarts used more power to push Lapointe back into a wall. "Alright, you guys better get out of here now! Go save Lucy and take the Archbishop to safety, things are gonna get real nasty soon!"

"But what about Lapointe?" Natsu asked.

"Didn't I say I'd take care of him? Just go already Natsu!" Gildarts said.

"Man, this feels like Déjà Vu," Natsu said.

"I'm surprised you know what that means." Gildarts said before he noticed Lapointe getting back up again. "Aw crap!"

"I really hope you can do better than that!" the Cardinal said as he dashed in front of the crash mage and uppercut him, sending him flying into the ceiling. "Don't tell me I've defeated the mighty Gildarts so easily!"

"Gildarts!" the younger Fairies cried with concern.

"Don't worry, I'm just getting warmed up!" Gildarts said before he used the ceiling as a springboard and slams into the rogue Cardinal, causing the entire room to quake as the both fell through the floor.

"You'd better not lose, ya hear me Gildarts! And make sure he feels it!" Natsu shouted before he and the others quickly evacuated from the Archbishop's chambers.

"Come on, we'd better get moving!" Gray said.

"Hey, I know a way into the Infinity Castle," Coco revealed.

"Then lead the way!" Gohan said.

" _Coco, I'm glad you're not hurt."_ Lily thought as he smiled.

"Warren, you'll stay with the others while they treat the Archbishop! Elfman, Gray, Gajeel, Jenny, you're with us!" Erza instructed.

"Got it!" they complied. They were about to make their way when their path was blocked by a slightly bruised Lord Byro.

"What do you want pal? Can't you see we're in a hurry?" Natsu asked.

"First, I wish to thank you for helping to expose the truth to me even though we were enemies." Byro said. "And I wish to apologize, even if I was being manipulated by Lapointe, as head of the Legion Platoon, I am solely responsible for the suffering me and my soldiers caused by our actions."

"Byro," Solaseed muttered.

"It's fine. You made a mistake, but we can worry about that after we stop this thing!" Gohan said.

"You misunderstand me boy. I'm apologizing not for what we did when we were used as tools, but for what must be done in order to save the world from destruction. As a warrior sworn to Zentopia, I am prepared to do what it takes to end this nightmare; if the Infinity Clock is to be stopped…then Lucy Heartfilia must die!" Byro declared.

"I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH HER!" Natsu shouted as he rushed to strike Byro with his fire fist; the Zentopian soldier defused his magic and blocked his punch before knocking him aside.

"Byro, stop! Haven't we done enough harm to the innocent?! Don't add this sin to your conscience!" Solaseed said.

"I know how this seems, but we do not have the time to discuss it right now! I must deal with Lapointe for all the crimes he's committed! I will leave Lucy's execution to you…" Byro said as he glanced up. "Samuel!"

At that moment, the gray exceed descended to ground level in his battle form. "Yes sir!" he said.

"It's the other cat!" Gajeel stated.

"Sammy!" Lily exclaimed.

"As I told you before brother, I serve Lord Byro!" Samuel stated. "And I intend to carry out his orders once again!"

"Don't you dare get in our way!" Natsu warned as he stood up.

"What are you planning to do?" Pantherlily asked.

"Simple, keep you away from your friend! The time for talk is past brother!" Samuel answered as he sprouted his wings and flew over the rescuers. "I understand your anger, but I don't need calculations to know what's right! When the life of one person is weighed against the fate of the entire world, there's only one course of action!" The gray exceed quickly took off to get to the Infinity Castle.

"Take him down!" Lily ordered.

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed as both he and the black exceed flew to stop Samuel.

"You won't interfere!" Byro shouted as he raised his staff; his magic quickly canceled out Happy and Lily's before they got too far.

"Why you!" Natsu shouted as he tried to hit Byro again, only to miss as the Legion leader dodged and them went to face the ex Cardinal. "Damn it!"

"I'll go after him and save Lucy!" Gohan said as he revved up and went airborne. "You guys catch up when you can!"

"Wait! We still don't know how to use the Ki to boost our magic!" Gray said.

"What are we suppose to do to bring out this new power?!" Erza asked.

"Just remember what I said, the power comes in response to a need, not a desire! You have to create that need!" Gohan said.

"Kid, wait! **Invigorate!** "Solaseed chanted as she used her magic to heal Gohan's injuries. "You should be able to fight better now!"

"Thanks!" Gohan said as he flew to get to the Infinity Castle.

"Be careful Gohan!" Wendy shouted.

"Natsu! You guys gotta hurry up and find Lucy!" Happy said.

"Yeah, I'll save her pal!" Natsu promised.

"Come on, this way!" Coco said as she led the others towards the Castle.

* * *

With Gildarts, Lapointe evaded a punch from the crash mage before kicking him several meters away; he then jumped to smash the Ace of Fairy Tail with his fist but Gildarts blocked it with his arm, shattering the ground beneath his feet to cushion the blow. Lapointe then backed away and held out his hand and yelled **"Dark Capriccio!"** firing Master Zero's piercing spell at the Fairy. Gildarts quickly countered by touching the spell, hitting it with a white blast that dissembled it and scattered it all around them.

"Let's try this again, **Empyrean!** " Gildarts shouted as he threw his strongest punch at the Cardinal again. Lapointe was socked in the face and was blown backwards, but he landed on his feet and just cracked his neck. "Damn, I barely fazed him," Gildarts muttered.

"You're as strong as the rumors say you are! And your magic is even more destructive, but with Ki coursing through my body I am superior!" Lapointe said.

"Oh yeah? Then what's taking you so long to beat me?" Gildarts asked. "If you're as strong as you think then come on! Show what you got!"

"As you wish!" Lapointe complied as he fired a kiai at Gildarts blowing him into a wall that crumbled. "What's wrong? I hope the game's not over yet, I was just getting started!"

"You think this is all a game?! Toying with people's lives?! Manipulating the innocence, including the Archbishop, Solaseed and the Legion Platoon?!" Byro asked as came behind the Cardinal and smashed him in the back with his staff. "Well, I promise to put an end to this game, forever! **Divine Slash!** " Byro channeled magic power into his staff and swung it in a diagonal slash at the Zero clone; the force shattered the ground around them. When the smoke cleared, Byro was surprised to see that Lapointe was holding the top part of his staff in his hand. The Legion leader was then karate chopped in the head, sending him crashing along then ground before he stood up only to be hit with an energy blast that further destroyed more of Zentopia's inner structure.

"I care not for the pathetic lives that were used to bring about chaos. All I care about is destruction and being in the center of it!" Lapointe said.

Gildarts suddenly appears and fires a massive crash blast (the one he used on Natsu immediately after his first punch in the S-Class Trials) to which Lapointe counters with his own a massive Darkness Magic blast of his own; the two attacks shook the entire room as the mages were blown backwards from their attacks cancelling each other out. Lapointe then sensed something above him and looked up to see Lord Byro coming at him; the renegade Cardinal fires his Dark Delete which the Legion Platoon leader nullifies them before landing in front of him, forming a spear of light with his right hand and thrusting it at Lapointe's chest. The manipulator just grabs it with his bare hand and crushed it before grabbing Byro's wrist and tossing him into the crash mage. The two got up in time to see Lapointe fire numerous Ki blasts at them.

The mini blasts created a dust cloud that surrounded the two; when it dispersed, Byro was seen standing before Gildarts holding his staff vertically while conjuring a large Magic circle to defend them both. "Your skills are indeed impressive Byro, but you stand no chance against my power!" Lapointe chastised.

Byro dropped the shield and glanced at the Fairy. "Are you alright?" he asked sternly.

"Yeah, thanks pal." Gildarts said. "Guy's pretty tough huh? Guess this Master Zero was really something before he was arrested."

"It's not just Zero's magic he's using, the Ki he gained from that combat drug is enhancing his abilities to an unprecedented degree." Byro said. "He has truly become a fearsome opponent."

"Maybe, but my hotheaded friend was able to beat Zero magic seven years ago," Gildarts said. "And since you can nullify magic, all he really has to beat us with is this Ki."

"True, but Ki is just an effective weapon as magic, that Gohan has certainly shown that." Byro stated. "He may not be as strong as the boy, but if we wish to defeat him, then we must hit him with everything we've got!"

"We? Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Gildarts asked.

Byro nodded "As much as it hurts my pride as a Legion soldier, I must ally myself with a guild mage if I wish to punish Lapointe for the crimes he's committed against Zentopia!" he answered. "I ask that you join me in battle to defeat this madman!"

"Heh! No need to beg, I'll help ya. After all, it wasn't just you he used, but my guild as well, including my daughter!" Gildarts said before growing an anger face as he unleashed his full power. "And that is something I can never forgive!"

"I feel the same about using the Archbishop." Byro said as he went full throttle as well. "But just know, even if we do defeat him, we won't immediately become friends, we're merely two sides allying together to destroy a common enemy!"

"The enemy of my enemy if my friend, yeah I get it. Don't worry; if we win and you still feel that way, I'll gladly take you on to settle our score from last time." Gildarts promised.

"Two of the strongest mages in Fiore against the product of Master Zero's will? This will be exciting indeed!" Lapointe said as he powered up too. "The both of you will be perfect test subjects against my increasing power!" The rouge Cardinal braced himself as the Ace of Fairy Tail and the Leader of the Legion Platoon charged at him and swung their fist at the same time to strike him.

* * *

Elsewhere, Wendy and Solaseed were struggling to remove the dark magic that was used to control the Archbishop, but progress was slow and the old timer wasn't looking like he was getting any better. "Is he under the same spell that was used on Cana?" Laki inquired.

"Yes, I think so," Carla replied.

"Any luck Wendy?" Happy asked.

"Our healing magic doesn't seem to be working on him," Wendy answered.

"Keep trying," Happy encouraged.

"His fever is still pretty high," Laki said as she felt the old man's head.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked.

"I think the spell was cast on the Archbishop's brain for too long," Wendy explained. "Fragments of it are stuck in still there!"

"Damn it! I should've treated his grace as soon as I was summoned! I can't believe I let Lapointe trick me and risk the Archbishop's life for so long!" Solaseed growled.

"So unless you can safely remove the fragments he may not live long enough to help us." Carla said.

"Do you think you can save him?" Happy asked.

"If we use our magic delicately enough to prevent brain damage, then we might possibly save him." Wendy answered.

" _I've never encountered such a dark spell as this one, it must be connected to the Real Nightmare."_ Solaseed thought. _"We have to be very careful, I don't know if we can remove this without harming his grace."_

"There's not much of an option is there? If he comes out of it, he might be able to tell us more about the Infinity Clock." Warren said.

"Come on girls, we know you can do this," Laki said.

"Okay!" the two healers replied.

* * *

With Gohan, the Demi Saiyan flew after the gray exceed to the top of the Zentopia Cathedral where he saw a large pyramid with an eye in the center of the base floated just above. _"He must've gone up there, I've got to hurry!"_ he thought before flying right into the pyramid; his chasing Samuel came to an end when he made it to the room where his fellow guildmate was being held in time to see Imitatia clip the Zentopian cat's wings and knock him elsewhere. _"Did she jus save Lucy?"_ Gohan thought before the deceiver faced him with her emotionless expression. _"What am I thinking? Of course not, they just need her alive so that they can complete their plans!"_ The Son of Goku descended to ground level and stood in front of the steps.

"Gohan!" Lucy called.

"So, you're the first to get here, the child warrior of the mighty Saiyan race." Imitatia taunted. "It doesn't matter who it is, I won't let anyone take my big sister away from me!"

"I'm here to save my friend Lucy, and you have no right to call her your sister after what you've done!" Gohan stated. "But, in the name of our past friendship, whether it was fake or not, I'll give you one chance to step aside and stop your evil deeds!"

Imitatia gave her answer when she pulled out the enhanced combat drug from in between her breast and gulped it down; her body started emitting a red outline. "I won't let you have Lucy, Saiyan!" she said sternly.

"Fine. Then you leave me no choice!" Gohan said as he powered up while still in base form. _"Even if she has that super combat drug mixing her Ki with her magic, she's no match for me even in my current state."_ He thought as he took a battle stance.

"No, Gohan! Don't do it!" Lucy cried.

"Sorry Lucy, but if we want to save you and the world, then we need to take down all enemies, even those we thought were our friends." Gohan said. The Demi Saiyan shifted his feet before charging at the Oracion. Imitatia tried to strike him with her flower shield but he disappeared from her sight and appeared behind her; the next thing she knew, she was kicked in the face by the Saiyan's foot before taking multiple punches to the gut. He then uppercut her in the chin and double kicking her before finishing by using a kiai to blast her into a wall. Gohan then went flew to where Lucy was stuck and started pulling to get her free. "Hang on Lucy, I'll get you out in not time!" He assured. As he pulled the orange substance restraining the celestial wizard started crack.

"I think its working, keep pulling!" the blonde mage told her friend.

Gohan complied as he did so; he then felt a slight sting in his back and turned to see Imitatia still on her feet and aiming her hand at him. Several thorned vines shot out of her Vine armor and stretched towards the Saiyan; Gohan quickly jumped away from Lucy and back flipped over the Oracion, evading her vines. The Z Fighter charged at Imitatia who rushed at him back. She threw many blows at him that he blocked easily. She managed to store a lucky hit when she used her shield to strike the lower part of Gohan's neck, he staggered a bit but shook it off as he countered by elbow bashing her in the face. Gohan continued his assault by punching her a few more time before grabbing her wrist and slamming her into the ground. Imitatia immediately got up and jumped over the Saiyan and stood in front of the stairs leading to Lucy. "That was the closest you'll ever get to Lucy! I won't let you reach her again!" She declared.

"Oh yeah? And do you think that striking my weak points is gonna stop me?" Gohan asked surprising the Oracion. "That's right, I know that style of fighting. But that won't work on someone as tough as me!"

"It doesn't matter! Whether human or Saiyan or both, your body will take damage when I strike your vitals!" Imitatia "You won't be able to take it forever, said. "With my magic and Ki as one, I'll eventually strike a nerve that'll bring you down for sure."

"We'll see about that Michelle!" Gohan said as he charged at her again. Imitatia reacted by throwing her shield at the Saiyan hybrid; Gohan just sidestepped it and grabbed the vine it was attached to.

"Fool! My Cilice can cause instant pain to anyone; even if they're not binding you as long as you touch them you'll feel the agony!" Imitatia stated. Gohan's body immediately lit up with red light as the deceiver's magic to effect; however, the black haired Saiyan showed no sign of being affected as he just pulled on the vine, reeling the fake Michelle towards him while pouring Ki into his right fist. He punched her in the gut, the force of his blow blasting her into the ceiling. Gohan then raised his hands above his and focused energy into his palms.

" **Masenko…ha!"** he yelled as he fired his signature blast at the sixth Oracion; the demon flash attack hit her dead on and exploded before Imitatia was seen falling to the ground hard. "I'm sorry, but it's over for you now." Gohan sighed before he saw the girl stand up again with her body bruised and her arm broken. _"Impossible, not even Frieza could handle that attack and still get up unscathed!"_ he thought. The grazes on Imitatia's body suddenly vanished as her arm repaired itself. "What the heck?"

"Even the might of a Saiyan isn't enough to take me down! My body is immune to pain!" Imitatia explained. "None of your attacks will ever faze me! And don't call me Michelle! My name is Imitatia!"

" _Man! I can't sense her life force even though she can use Ki! She barely shows any emotions, she does what she's told and her body just shrugs of pain! It's like fighting an Android all over again!"_ Gohan thought before he smirked. _"But even Androids have their weaknesses!"_

Imitatia raised an eyebrow at the half Saiyan. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing, just that you remind me of a few enemies my friends have already defeated." Gohan answered.

"Whatever you're planning won't work on me. My real power comes from neither Ki nor magic, but from my heart! And as long as I follow what it tells me, I will never waver in battle no matter who I face!" Imitatia declared.

"Funny, my father had that very same nasty habit of following his heart, and I've inherited it from him! So I won't back down til the end!" Gohan said as he placed two fingers from his right hand to his forehead. "I'll give you one more chance to give up before I attack again!"

"Michelle…Gohan…please stop." Lucy pleaded.

"Don't worry big sister, we won't be separated again!" Imitatia swore to her sister. "Even if I have to kill a Saiyan, you will always be with me!"

"If that's your answer, then just know this…I warned you!" Gohan said as he started focusing energy into his fingertips. He then raised his left hand and fired multiple Ki blasts at the deceiver; Imitatia evaded the blasts before summoning her rose sword and rushing at the Saiyan. She swung at him multiple times but he evaded very slash with ease; Gohan started dashing around the room with the sixth Oracion right on tail.

"I thought you said you had a way of defeating me? Now you're just gonna run?" Imitatia inquired.

"I'm not running! I'm just preparing …for this moment!" Gohan said as he phased right in front of Imitatia, catching her off guard as he placed his two fingers sparkling Ki at her stomach. "Special Beam Cannon…Fire!" he roared, the piercing blast went right through the deceiver's abdomen, shocking her and Lucy; Imitatia fell flat on her back with a gaping hole in her stomach as Gohan lowered his fingers and turned away.

"Gohan…why? H-How could you? Michelle…" Lucy muttered as started to get teary eyed.

"She gave me no other choice. I didn't want to do this, but she wouldn't back down. I'm sorry." Gohan said sadly before looking at the celestial mage. "Now let's get you out of here." As he walked up the stairs he didn't notice the Oracion he struck down getting back up; she swung her flower shield at him surprising him when it struck his back. He turned to look at her with wide eyes as he saw the fatal wound her gave her heal with magic energy. "How..?" was all he could ask before Imitatia swung her sword at him, unleashing a blast wave at him; Gohan crossed his arms to block the attack, he then looked up to see Imitatia coming down on him with her blade. He jumped away from her still confused as she stood in front of the stairs again.

"I told you nothing you hit me with will bring me down! I will fight for all eternity if that's what it takes to protect my sister!" Michelle stated. "Just give up, you can't beat me!"

"That doesn't mean it's not worth trying!" Gohan said taking his stance again. "You're self heal did surprise me, but I'm not out of tricks just yet!"

"Let's see how many tricks you can use before I kill you!" Imitatia said as she summoned her vines again; Gohan went airborne and flew all around as he swiftly evaded the Oracion's cilices. He then fired an energy blast that she countered with her own before jumping at him with her sword.

* * *

Meanwhile, Coco led the other members of the rescue team through the outer streets of the Cathedral. "Come on, hurry!" Coco yelled.

"It's really hard to keep up with you, kid!" Elfman said.

"I met a priest in prison who told me, that pyramid in the middle with the giant eye could take us to the Infinity Castle! But we still have a long way to go!" Coco explained.

"Hang on Lucy, we're coming for ya!" Natsu said with determination.

* * *

"My name is Lahar, I'm the Chief Marshal of the Custody Enforcement Unit! We freed you from the magic effects of the chains! You'll be protected if you remain inside the barrier!" Lahar explained. Not too far from the Infinity Castle, Rune Knights were busy at work rounding people up and placing them inside the Shiki barrier. While Lahar tried to keep the distressed bystanders calm, Mest used his magic to transport more and more people into the barrier.

"You're safe now, just stay in here." He told a mother and her son as he dropped them off. "Direct line!" he disappeared and teleported to another group of people. "Don't be afraid, I've come to take you and your family to safety."

"Good! Keep moving, you're almost there!" Lahar instructed as he herd more people into the barrier. Just then, he looked up to see the Saiyan Prince and the She Devil flying toward them; they landed in front of him which he questioned. "Why are the two of you here? Shouldn't you be with the others to stop the Infinity Clock?" he inquired.

"We got sidetracked on the way," Trunks replied before dropping Racer. "Brought you a gift though."

"That's Racer!" Lahar said in surprise. "One of the Neo Oracion Seis has been defeated!"

"What's going on?" Mest asked as he appeared beside Lahar; he then looked down and saw the unconscious speed demon. "Whoa! You guys took down Racer!"

"I didn't do anything, it was all Mira," Trunks admitted. "She's super strong and super fast!"

"Oh Trunks, you don't have to flatter me," Mira said while blushing.

"It's true though," Trunks said before speaking to the Rune Knights. "So you guys wanna take him in?"

"Yes, Mest will transport to our Custody officers who are helping with people elsewhere; they'll hold him til this is over!" Lahar said.

"Good, then we'd better get going right Trunks?" Mira asked the Saiyan who didn't answer. "Trunks?"

The Time Traveler was looking out into the distance where he could see multiple people cowering in fear from the bizarre circumstances; he was then reminded of his futuristic home where millions of people were living in fear due to the Androids ravaging the world for their own amusement. The half Saiyan then faced Mirajane and said "We shouldn't be too far from the others; if you keep going straight you'll find them in no time."

"You're not coming?" She asked.

"I'll catch up later, but first I wanna help get these people to safety." Trunks said. "I can't just leave them like this, reminds me of the people from my home. I won't be long."

"If you're sticking around to help, then so am I." Mira said. "You left the others to make sure I was ok, that means we're both going to catch up with them, together. Our friends can last until we get there to help them."

Trunks nodded "Alright, then let's to work!" he said.

"If you're going to help us, then start with the people in the town nearby." Lahar instructed them. "Gather as many people as you can and bring them to the barrier." Trunks and Mira nodded before they rushed to the town to get more people. "Mest,"

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" Mest assured as he grabbed Racer and teleported away.

In another location, Balderich Wilhelm and Amber Celadon were directing people onto the former Grimoire Heart airship in order to take them to a secure place; as they did that, Chief Tyson and his Indian Knight Trio were gathering people from nearby and taking them towards the ship. "Everyone, please come aboard the ship! We'll take you to a safe place til the crisis has past!" Amber announced. Tyson soon flew by with at least thirty people in tow. "Tyson, are you almost done?"

"Just a few more doggies to round up ma'am!" the Cyborg replied.

"Well, we'd better finish soon," Jillian said as she brought fifteen more people. "The other may still need our help in taking down the Neo Oracion Seis." At that moment, Mest appeared with the unconscious Racer. "Or not,"

"Is he one of the six demons?" Hugo asked as he came with some people.

"Yeah, this is Racer." Mest answered. "One of Fairy Tail's mages took him out."

Jillian placed her hand on the speed demon's neck. "He's still alive, but he'll be out for a while."

"Looks like they really gave this guy a beat down, just what I expect from those ruffians," Tyson said.

"We'd better place him on the ship's prison hold for now." Balderich suggested. "We'll take him to the council prison while we're transporting passengers." Jillian nodded as she summoned her Ki wires to restrain the Oracion and carried him onto the black ship. "Alright Tyson, you and your crew should hurry up and head to the frontlines." The Head Captain of the 1st Custody Enforcement Unit said to the Redneck; Tyson saluted him and went to finish evacuating people.

* * *

Back at Zentopia, Wendy and Solaseed were still trying to remove the spell from the Archbishop's mind with their healing magic; although slowly, the old man's color was starting to return and his face became less distressed. "I think its working!" Laki said.

"Yes, he doesn't look nearly as sick as before," Lily agreed.

"Don't try to rush it, be very gentle." Wendy muttered to herself.

"She looks exhausted," Happy stated about the Dragon Slayer.

"She's never cast her cure spell for this long before, so its only natural that she'd get tired from it." Carla explained. "It looks like Miss Solaseed is draining herself as well."

After a few minutes, both healers stopped and sighed deeply. "I know you both want to save him but your using way too much magic power, don't force yourselves." Carla said to them with concern.

"Maybe you ladies should take a breather and try again later," Happy suggested.

"Don't need to, I think he'll be just fine." Wendy revealed, surprising the others.

"Wait, you're done already?" Happy asked.

"My goodness, when were you going to tell me you've improved so much Wendy?" Carla questioned the Sky Maiden.

"I was surprised at your skill; because of you we were able to safely remove the spell." Solaseed said while petting the young girl's head. "Seems like you've done this before, probably did most of the work here."

"Yeah well, I got a lot of experience recently," Wendy explained while smiling. "In any case, the Archbishop is out of the woods and the spell won't bother him again!"

"It's true, even his fever's gone down!" Laki said as she felt the old man's forehead.

"Excellent work Wendy," Lily commended the girl.

"Never doubted you for a minute." Warren said.

"Nicely done little lady," Bisca said.

"I am truly grateful to you young healer. Thank you so much for helping to save our beloved leader." Solaseed said while bowing her head to Wendy.

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm happy to help." Wendy said.

"Now in only getting rid of the Infinity Clock was as easy as removing a spell," Happy said before he realized something. "But what if it is. I've got it!" the blue exceed exclaimed getting their others attention.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"Samuel thinks he has to kill Lucy to stop the Infinity Clock but he's wrong! There's another way! The answer was right in front of us!" Happy stated.

"And that answer is?" Carla asked.

"Isn't is obvious? We have to defeat the Neo Oracion Seis!" Happy answered.

"We have to defeat every single one?" Lily asked.

"I don't follow you?" Laki said.

"Remember when they all first showed up with the clock pieces they had Rancor steal from us? The very first thing they did was brand it with their seal!" Happy said as he recalled when they encountered the six demons in the Zentopian tomb.

"Now that I think about it, the sixth seal on the clock hand, it must've belonged to Michelle." Carla said when she remembered seeing the seal message on Lucy's heirloom.

"Us cats know a lot about marking things so I'm pretty sure that's how it works! I think if we're able to beat all of them and erase their seals, then their ownership of the clock will go away as well!" Happy explained.

"And if they don't control it, then they can't hold Lucy anymore!" Carla added.

"She'll be free!" Happy cheered.

"I'll let Natsu and the others know about Happy's theory." Warren said as he touched his forehead.

"I'm gonna try and find Lucy!" Happy said.

"I'll join you!" Lily said.

"I'll stay here with the others but we'll meet up with you later. Please be careful." Carla said

"Right!" The male exceeds said as they flew off.

" _These guild mages are so high spirited. Even in these dark times, they still have hope, and as a result they're able to find different solutions to the problems while trying to save their friend."_ Solaseed thought while smiling. _"This must be i where their real strength comes from; Zentopia could really learn a lot from them. Perhaps this is what Coco learned when she betrayed us, or tried to teach us herself."_ The Head Nun then turned and started to walk away from the Fairies.

"Hey, where ya going lady?" Bisca asked.

"Forgive me, I'd hate to ask of this after all you've people have done for us but could you all keep an eye on the Archbishop?" She requested. "I'm sure he'll wake up soon and help you stop the Infinity Clock."

"Ok, but where are you going?" Laki asked.

Solaseed pulled off her robe, revealing her combat wear and her rebound sword strapped to her back. "I'm gonna go find Lapointe; he and I have some unfinished business!" she replied as she clenched her sword handle; as she walked off she released a fierce magical aura that sent a chill down the others spines. "I'll make pay for what he's done to Zentopia!"

"She's scary," Warren stated.

"No kidding," Bisca said before she noticed Wendy going off too. "Where you going Wendy?"

"I'm going to try and find the others, so that I can help too!" the Sky Maiden answered.

"Absolutely not!" Carla yelled. "You just exhausted you magic and now you wanna go fight?! You'd be wise to leave this to the others!"

"But I can't just sit by and do nothing! I know I used a lot of magic just now, but I'm actually fine!" Wendy argued. "Besides, if defeating all of the Neo Oracion Seis is the way to save Lucy, then we'll need all the fighters we can get, including me! I received the Ki power boost too, so that means I need to use it to save my friend! Lucy and Gohan need our help, so I have to at least try!" The Sky Dragon didn't wait for a response as she ran to catch up with her guildmates; Carla watched her for a moment before summoning her aero wings and picking Wendy up. "Carla?"

"Well I can't just let you go off on your own can I?" Carla replied. "Plus it'll save time if we fly!"

Wendy smiled. "Right, thanks!" she said.

"Thank me later. Now, we have a job to do!" Carla said.

"Yeah, let's go save our friends!" Wendy exclaimed.

With the other mages, they ran through the lower levels of the Infinity Castle when they heard Warren's telepathic message. _"Hey guys, can you hear me?! We might have figured out another way for us to stop the Infinity Clock!"_

"Huh? Does anyone else hear that?" Elfman asked.

"It sounds like telepathy from Warren, but I can't understand him!" Natsu replied.

"He says, we can stop the clock by beating the Neo Oracion Seis!" Erza clarified.

"Then they can't control it anymore!" Coco said.

"And we might be able to save Lucy in the process!" Gray added.

"I can get behind that plan! I start to rust if I don't bash in some heads before dinner!" Gajeel said.

"I'm sick and tired of all this running around, I'm ready to brawl! Let's show em how manly we are!" Elfman said.

"Uh some of us are women here! But you got a point; it's time to reveal our beautiful strength!" Jenny said.

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu said.

The rescue team suddenly stopped when they saw someone standing on a red beam right above them with their arms crossed. "End of the line kids!" said the enemy before them, which was Cobra, the Poison Dragon Slayer.

"Snake dude!" Natsu growled.

"Cobra!" Erza exclaimed

The Oracion immediately pulled out the enhanced combat drug and quickly drank it; the snake mage began channeling a red aura before his body changed into the same draconic form he used when he fought Lieutenant Steelsoul. Erza glared at the 2nd generation Dragon Slayer while the others were stunned by his appearance. "Aw, do you remember this form Titania? I hope you and your friends aren't terrified of it, I wouldn't want you to have second thoughts about fighting me!" he snarled.

"So, this is that freaky form you said he took back then?" Gajeel asked.

"Yes," Erza replied.

"Eh, looks more like an incomplete takeover, not very manly if you ask me!" Elfman said.

"Are you kidding?! That looks so awesome!" Natsu said joyfully. "Man I wish I could do this Super Dragon Force thing!"

"It's called Dragon Force 2 flame brain!" Gray corrected him.

"Man, these guild rats will never cease to annoy someone with their childishness," Cobra muttered. "Although, I think I like the name you gave this form, Dragon Force 2, to show that I've gone beyond even the final stage of any Dragon Slayer before me."

"Natsu, this form may look desirable to you, but its price would be too costly! I would never allow you to sacrifice your humanity just to gain this monstrous transformation!" Erza reprimands the Fire Dragon.

"Good, cause I'd rather not imagine a half Dragon Natsu," said a snarky Gray.

"All that anxiety! The sweet desperation of despair, I can hear it from all of you!" Cobra said with a wicked grin.

"Not if I char your ears off!" Natsu shouted.

"I'm saving you for last Salamander! Titania and I have unfinished business!" Cobra said as he flexed his claw. "Isn't that right?!" He swung his claw, sending a sound wave at the scarlet mage that blinded her comrades; Erza jumped to evade the attack and landed right before the dark mage unharmed.

"You heard him! Go on, I've got this!" Erza assured her friends.

"We can help you!" Natsu argued.

Erza shook her head. "No he's only interested in fighting me; it's because I heard the cry of his heart." She declared.

"Shut your mouth!" Cobra shot back.

"Come on, we should get going," Gray said.

"Fine." Natsu complied as he and the others continued on their path. "Erza, if you die I'll kill you!" he shouted to the Fairy queen which seemed to make her chuckle.

"Mind telling me what's so amusing?" Cobra asked.

"There's no point in telling you, when you can already hear it." Erza replied. She then summons her sword and charges at the Dragon Slayer; Cobra's face expresses his surprise at the speed Erza managed to reach him. She strikes him with her blade, though it didn't pierce his armored scales, the force from the attack sent him flying. Cobra quickly regained his composure and rushes at the swordswoman with his dragon claw; Erza countered by swinging her sword and the two clashed multiple times while moving at incredible speeds.

" _What is this? How is she able to keep up with me?"_ Cobra thought as they stopped clashing. **"Poison Dragon Scales!"** He swung his arms, releasing numerous curved poisonous attacks at the Fairy Queen; Erza just stood still before swinging sword rapidly deflecting all the scales and sending them back to Cobra. The snake mage crossed his arms to block his own attack; he stared at Erza who was staring to emit a gold outline with confusion. _"How did she deflect all those scales? What's going on?"_

* * *

The rescue team made their way into another part of the castle that was full of ancient plants. "What's with all the plant life?" Elfman inquired.

"A greenhouse maybe," Gray suggested.

"Why grow a garden inside a gigantic clock?!" Gajeel asked.

"Does it really matter?" Natsu questioned. The mages suddenly stopped when they saw the white haired Oracion standing on a temple stone right above them.

"I'm sorry boys and girls, but this is as far as you're getting." She declared.

"I recognize that chick!" Natsu said.

"Angel," Gray said.

"Hmph, she thinks she's so pretty standing over us and looking divine." Jenny said with spite. "I can't stand her!"

"Keep going, I can handle this one!" Gray said as he stood forward.

"Ok, you and Erza really need to learn to work as a team," Natsu chastised the ice mage.

"You got no right to talk!" Gray argued back.

"Fine, she's all yours. She wouldn't be a challenge to me anyway." Natsu surrendered looking a bit smug. The others ran off, living the ice mage with the former celestial mage.

"So you're my opponent? How incredibly boring." Angel commented.

"Oh don't worry, I'll be sure to make things interesting for ya," Gray promised which made the Oracion smile.

* * *

The group proceeded into a room filled with metal gears covered rust and moss; they were suddenly stopped again when a magic blast intercepted their path. They looked up and saw Midnight and a giant mech suit (basically Jackpot mark II except the zipper is on his stomach) staring down at them. "Oh look, a merry band of intruders to kill!" the machine announced.

"It's Midnight! I mean Brain III or whatever he's called now!" Natsu said.

"But who's the giant metal man?" Coco asked.

"Its voice sounded familiar, it's probably that creepy talking stick!" Natsu said.

"My name is Klodoa, I've told you that already," Klodoa said. "Although, I guess now in my new suit, you should call me Jackpot mark II!"

"So you lost your old suit and got another one huh?" Natsu said. "It doesn't matter; I'll wreck this one just like I did the last one!"

"Because of you and Byro I lost my perfect suit, but Lapointe arranged for an improved one," Klodoa said. "It was created by the same resources and engineers used to make Centurion, but meant to be greater! Now you will all be used to test its abilities!"

"Look I don't have the time to break another one of your toys, so beat it!" Natsu said.

"Did you really think you'd make it to the top completely unopposed?" Midnight asked.

"About time you showed up, I call dibs! You guys go find Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"What was all that crap about teamwork hypocrite?!" Gajeel asked.

"Watch it!" Natsu warned.

"You keep going, he's mine!" Gajeel said.

"Should've known you'd want him to yourself! I already called dibs so go find your own!" Natsu said.

"So you're the head of the Neo Oracion Seis. You don't look scary; you look like some antsy kid who got into his mother's make up!" Black Steel mocked the Oracion leader.

"I'm not concerned with the opinion of gutter trash," Midnight said.

"Come down here and say that to my face!" Gajeel dared him.

"Uh guys, if you're both trying to take the mech?" Coco asked.

"I'm taking Midnight, give the stick guy to this loser!" both Dragon Slayers said before they glared at each other.

"Come on! Why don't you both just man up and decide already?!" Elfman commented.

"So you're the one called Black Steel Gajeel right? Tell me, are your brains made of scrap metal as well?" Klodoa inquired.

"Why you… that's it I'm so gonna eat you for lunch!" Gajeel screamed at the stick.

"Great, does that mean I get to take Midnight?!" Natsu asked.

"No! It means I'll take them both on if I have too!" Gajeel replied.

"Now way! Don't hog all the fun!" Natsu yelled. Suddenly Jenny Realight blitz past the Fairies and Coco and jumped towards Jackpot. "What the?"

"Partial Take Over, Machina Soul!" Jenny announced as she reared her right fist back. "Bionic Arm!" Her right fist changed into a bionic gauntlet-like one as she swung it at the unsuspecting Machias; she struck it with such great force that it was sent flying across the room until it went through the wall into another room. Jenny then turned to the others and said "Since you boys couldn't decide who gets to have this toy, I'll just take it for myself! Proceed with the mission, I'll finish this!" she then jumped after the machine she punched leaving her friends, in awe at her strength.

Gajeel quickly got over it and smirked at Brain II. "Guess that just leaves you with me pretty boy!" he said before addressing his friends. "Why are you still here? Go already!"

"Why are you still trying to give me orders?!" Natsu asked.

"We don't have time to argue about this, let Gajeel handle it and keep moving!" Elfman said as he grabbed Natsu and ran off with Coco.

"It shouldn't be much further!" Coco said as she led them.

"You cheater! I'm gonna get you back for this!" Natsu yelled to the Iron Dragon.

* * *

With Erza, the fight between the Dragon Slayer and the Fairy Queen was moved to another room, Cobra slashed at Erza with his dragon claws but she blocked everyone of his strikes with her sword before jumping away from the Dragon Slayer to gain some distance _. "She's even better than the last time we fought; I don't understand how though?!"_ Cobra thought.

Erza glanced at her hand as she felt her new power; she closed her eyes, feeling the Ki flowing through her body. Her life force continued to expand as it mixed with her magic energy and amplified that as well. Her strength, speed, senses along with the other traits she used in battle were enhanced as the rush from the adrenaline in her grew stronger. She then held her sword with both hands and swung it at Cobra, creating a Ki slash attack. The snake mage jumped into the air to avoid the attack before he glared at the Fairy Queen who once again closed her eyes to feel her increasing strength. "I can feel this power, it's incredible!" she muttered.

" _How is she able to do this? I need answers!"_ Cobra thought as he tried to read her thoughts, only to receive nothing. _"I can't pick out what I'm looking for; she's only thinking about this new power but not about how she got it!"_ Cobra then flew at Erza and used his new tail to slap her sword away and then punched her in the gut; Erza just grabbed his wrist before kicking him in the gut. Cobra winced before throwing more blows at Erza who countered with her own; the two mages traded blows before ending with a double kick and separating from each other. Erza requips another sword and swings at Cobra a few times; the Poison Dragon throws a fist that clashes with the sword, creating a sound wave that shattered the blade and the armor around the left arm that held the sword. Erza grasps slightly bruised her left before she was knocked aside by Cobra's tail. "I don't know how you acquired this new strength,, but if you think it's gonna be enough to beat one of the Six Demons, then you're dead wrong!" Cobra declared as Erza stood back up. "And soon you'll just be dead!" He then charged at the Scarlet mage baring his claws while Erza summon a giant sword and braced herself.

* * *

With Jenny, the female member of Blue Pegasus had followed Jackpot Mark II to where he had crashed landed from her earlier attack but didn't see him around; she looked around for the stick in machine when she suddenly sensed an attack coming at her. She quickly sidestepped a bolt of lightning from Klodoa's lightning bolt bonus before facing him. "Impressive, you managed to evade my lightning bonus," Klodoa said. "However, that was just a weak attack! Now I'm gonna get serious! You struck me when I wasn't expecting it, nearly put a dent in my new suit! I won't forgive you for…" he was cut off when the blonde mage jumped and appeared right in front of him; she then used her bionic arm to punch Jackpot flat on his back, making a small explosion that surrounded them in a dust cloud. When it cleared Jackpot was lying in a web-like crater with Jenny standing over him.

"If you're going to make me pay then stop talking and start fighting!" Jenny said smugly. "You know, I can tell this is your first time using that new suit, so don't worry, I'll be gentle when I'm kicking your butt left and right til you're rekt to pieces." The Take Over mage raises her left arm and tries to smash the mech suit again; the slots on Jackpot's chest screen shift to pictures of someone in a barrier. A giant barrier of magic suddenly formed around the slot machine, protecting it from Jenny's attack.

"Don't underestimate me, nothing can get through my Barrier Bonus!" Jackpot said as he expanded the barrier, pushing Jenny backward. Jenny quickly used her partial take over on her legs, turning them bionic and stomping on the ground to hold her position; the shield still pushed her back but she began to slow down as her feet dug a long trench line into the ground. Jackpot then dropped the barrier and charged towards Jenny at full speed with his rockets jetpack. The slot machine then punched the blonde mage, sending her flying into the wall. Jenny stood up as her coat cape fell from her shoulders onto the floor; she spat out a little blood before jumping to strike the mech suit with spinning axe kick from her bionic leg. Jackpot quickly activated his Spinning Attack Bonus, showing three spinning top symbols on his chest and started rotating his upper body into a tornado while he ran towards his opponent.

The two attacks clashed, causing a massive explosion from the impact; the Take Over mage was eventually overpowered and blown through the floor to another room in the castle.

* * *

With Gajeel, the ex phantom lord member was currently facing off against the Oracion leader. **"Iron Dragon Club!"** He shouted as he extended his metal arm towards the dark mage. Midnight simply held up his hand, using his reflector spell to block the attack.

"Iron Dragon? So the gutter trash has claws after all!" Midnight commented.

"That reflector spell you keep using sucks!" Gajeel said. "You're starting to piss me off!"

"Heh, I've already had to deal with one rustbucket, but with you, I won't even need my Genesis Zero to win this fight," Midnight said.

"Don't compare me to some Machias freakshow! **Iron Dragon Lance; Demon Logs!** " The Dragon Slayer shifted his right arm into a large spear before firing multiple iron projectiles at the dark mage. Midnight countered the same way he did with the last attack but Gajeel was relentless; as he continued to fire, his body started emitting the gold outline from his Ki increase. One of the logs managed to get through Brain II's defense, striking him in the leg and making him cringe. The Fairy used that moment to stuff some iron chunks into his mouth. "Just a quick snap, then I'll finish you!" he said as he ate a few more bits of iron and took a deep breath. **"Iron Dragon Roar!"** He exclaimed before letting out his breathe attack. The twister of iron shards flew towards the dark mage; Midnight put up his barrier again, bending the attack upward. Gajeel then appeared at his opponent's back and Midnight quickly directed Gajeel's breathe attack right at him, causing an explosion.

"You should realize by now that nothing you throw at me will hit the mark!" Midnight stated. "Centurion and that Indian Knight were a better challenge than you!"

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel asked when he suddenly grabbed the Oracion's shoulder from behind. "You may be able to reflect things from a distance, but up close and personal is a whole different story!" His hand then changed into a sharp blade. "And just so you know, I'm much stronger than that knight and Machias combined! **Iron Dragon Sword!** " He swung his sword down on the head Oracion, who screamed in pain when it looked like he was cut right down the middle; he then disappeared, surprising Black Steel. "What? A fake?"

"My mirages are convincing, aren't they? Not even that Indian Knight could pick out the real me!" Midnight said as he appeared behind the Dragon Slayer. **"Spiral Pain!"** He created a strong gust of wind that blew the Fairy into the air and sent him flying out the Infinity Castle. However, Gajeel quickly yelled "No way am I letting you off that easy! **Iron Dragon Harpoon!** " as he changed his hand into a spear with chain attached to it and launched at castle; it pierced the wall, allowing the Iron Dragon to swing back to where he fought Midnight. Caught off guard, the Oracion was struck in the head by an Iron Dragon Club kick from the metal muncher. Midnight staggered a bit before he was hit with another club from Gajeel, pushing him into many iron pillars and crumbling them.

Midnight's blood drips from his mouth whips makes Gajeel smirk as he powers up and dons on his Iron Scale Armor. "Hope you're not finished yet, cause I'm just getting started! Try to last long enough for me to get the rust off these scales would ya?!" Gajeel taunts him before charging at him.

Brain II then smirks as he powers up himself. "Perhaps you are more than gutter trash; this will be an entertaining fight! Or at least a good warm up before I face the one who defeated my father!" he declared as he charged at Gajeel; the two mages clashed and started trading blows, causing shockwaves with every collision.

* * *

In another room, Lord Byro and Gildarts were throwing their best attacks at the Cardinal, but he seemed to be tanking everything while striking them with double force. Byro swung his staff at the dark mage, sending an earth shattering wave at him but he withstood it effortlessly. "Byro, I heard that you had refined your combat prowess to the point where no man has been able to defeat you in a physical match right?" Lapointe inquired. "But that Saiyan was able to do just that, and now I posses his strength, which means your defeat is inevitable!"

"Silence! I refuse to let a traitorous dog like you defeat me!" Byro shouted as he raised his staff up. **"Divine Bullet Squall!"** the Legion leader summoned a magic circle above the Cardinal, unleashing numerous powerful magic blasts to rain down on him. Lapointe simply raised his hands, sending a massive energy blast upward that deflected the magic blasts and destroyed the magic circle above him. This however, left him open to a punch to the face from Gildarts; Fairy Tail's Ace didn't stop there as he proceeded to beat the dark mage with multiple blows. Lapointe eventually grabbed Gildarts fist before kicking him in the chin and then hand chopping him aside.

"You're wasting your time! The world falls deeper and deeper into the darkness as my power continues to grow stronger! You two will never defeat me alone or together!" he said.

"Is that so? Well you certainly like to hear yourself talk." Gildarts said. "But take some advice, don't focus on what we can't do instead of what we're about to do!"

Lapointe then looked behind him and saw Byro leveling his hand that channeled white magic power at him. **"Divine Lock!"** he exclaimed as he summoned a ball of magic energy, imprisoning the phony Zero. "In this prison you're incapable of using any magic and you Ki attacks won't work when you can't use them from inside there!" Byro declared.

"Not bad Byro, but still not good enough!" Lapointe said as he crossed his arms; his body started channeling energy before he raised his arms, unleashing an explosion of Ki. The entire magic sphere was filled with dark red light before it cracked and burst open, letting out the combustion and blowing the two mages backwards. The men landed on their backs and looked up to see Lapointe dusting himself off.

"Damn, his power is beyond what I imagined possible," Byro said as he stood up.

"Yeah, nothing we've thrown so far has put a scratch on this guy." Gildarts said as he got up too.

"So, what now?" Byro asked.

"At this point, our best chance is to combine our strongest attacks and hit this guy with it full on!" Gildarts suggested.

"You mean…like a Unison Raid?" Byro inquired.

"Yeah, something like that," Gildarts replied.

"Hmm, very well." Byro agreed. He then raised his staff as he focused most of his magic power into the tip; Gildarts smiled as he powered up to max. Lapointe raise an eyebrow in curiosity as he felt the two magic powers mixing and increasing. Gildarts reached out and grabbed Byro's staff to pour his magic power into it.

"A Unison Raid huh? And one of this caliber would be able to kill even a Wizard Saint," Lapointe stated. "If this is your final card to play, then please, don't hold back!"

"We weren't planning on it pal!" Gildarts said.

The two mages then pointed the staff at the rouge Cardinal as the white light on the tip began to shine brighter. **"Verity Extension Blast: Heavenly Pulverization!"** They shouted. A massive white beam shot out of the staff and flew straight towards Lapointe; the dark mage just smirked as he crossed his arms over his face and prepared to withstand the attack. The magic blast struck the Zero clone and exploded with the light blighting up the entire room like a star as it quaked. In the aftermath, the two were breathing heavily; when the smoked cleared, Lapointe was still standing in the same spot with only difference being that he robe was torn to shreds.

"What? How did he survive that attack?" Byro asked.

"I can't believe it, that attack was stronger than anything I've ever produced on my own, and it barely scratched him!" Gildarts said in disbelief.

Lapointe lowered his arms and began to examine himself. "That was an impressive attack, and your teamwork was flawless. Plus with my magic nullified, I had no way of countering the blast; and yet, all you were able to accomplish was to ruin my garments." He said, light then consumed his body before fading away and revealing him in the same militaristic attire as Master Zero along with the Cardinal cap. "What do you think? Quite the fitting uniform yes? To show that I have exceeded my predecessor Master Zero; so I shall take on the name…Master Zero thousand!"

"Well, that's stupid. Zero thousand is just four zeros which is the same as one zero." Gildarts commented.

"It's symbolic! It signifies that I'm a thousand times stronger than the original zero!" Lapointe yelled.

"A thousand times zero is still zero pal, so you're still just nothing!" Gildarts said as he and Byro sweatdropped.

"You'd know a lot about being nothing, because that's what you're about to be!" Lapointe said as he revved up his energy; he was surrounded by a sparky aura as he slowly held up his pointer and middle finger. An enormous blast wave of Ki consumed the two mages as the dark mage grinned wickedly. The roof of the room where they fought was immediately blown off and the explosion force affected even the Infinity Castle. When it stopped, both Byro and Gildarts were seen lying on the ground on their stomachs as Lapointe stood over them. "Such a wonderful power! I have ascended past the level of any mage in this world; I might not even need the Infinity Clock! I could destroy this world on my own!"

"Heh! Well I got news for you, your plan's not gonna work! Whether with this Ki power or with this clock, Fairy Tail's gonna stop you and save the world!" Gildarts groaned.

Lapointe just frowned at him. "That sounds like an empty threat coming from someone as beaten down as you are." He said as he aimed his hand at the two. "But enough playing around; you two are just heretics, and you must be eliminated!" His hand conjured up a red sphere Ki that expanded each second. "This world's end draw nigh, true destruction is at hand! A pity you won't live long enough to see it!"

" **Spiteful Saint X20!"** someone shouted from above the Cardinal; he canceled his attack and looked up to see a barrage of light attacks coming down on him. He was immediately bombarded with many magic blasts as Solaseed descended in front of Byro and Gildarts with her White Wings of Heaven activated and a serious scowl on her face.

"Lady Solaseed?" Byro muttered in surprise. "What are you doing here?! What about the Archbishop?!"

"His grace has been freed from the dark spell cast over his mind, his condition has improved, and it's thanks to those guild mages." Solaseed replied before facing the men on the floor. "Time to get up boys! We don't have the luxury of taking a break! **Invigorate!** " She used her white arts magic to heal the injuries Byro and Gildarts received; in a few seconds, the men were back on their feet, fully healed and their magic power restored.

"That excellent physique, those divine white wings, and the ability to heal! You've got to be an Angel, darling!" Gildarts said as he extended his hand to take Solaseed's. "Hey there, name's Gildarts. Nice to meet ya. Gotta say, your healing magic really made me feel like I'm in heaven; maybe when the world is safe again, I could thank you properly by taking ya out sometime,"

Lord Byro sweatdropped at this scene. _"Such vulgar, how can he be do carefree after nearly being killed moments ago?"_ He thought.

Solaseed just took her hand back and said "I believe that there are more pressing matters at hand, like taking down this renegade Cardinal. So can we please focus on that?"

"Yes ma'am! I'm eager for a little payback!" Gildarts replied while cracking his knuckles.

The smoke cleared and Lapointe was still on his feet; his gaze fell on the head nun who returned it with a glare. "Aaah Lady Solaseed, how nice of you to give me a warm welcome. I hope you weren't too late to save that old fool; it's such a shame when a good puppet is just left to rot when deemed useless." He said mockingly.

Solaseed gritted her teeth in anger. "I'll make you eat those words! You're gonna wish you never came to Zentopia when I'm through with you!" she yelled as she used her hands to form a white bow and create an arrow of pure white magic. "This attack brings salvation through death upon any Demon and judging by your sinful acts, it should surely eradicate you! **Arrow of Salvation!** " she fired her attack right at the rouge Cardinal who just smirked as he swatted it aside casually.

"An incredible attack, you've lost your touch even after retiring," Lapointe stated as he glanced at his hand which was burned from the attack. "However, even the three of you stand no chance against my powers! It would be so easy to erase all of you, but that wouldn't be thrilling at all! So, I'll you all one last chance to come at me with everything! Help me begin the origin story of how I ascended from dark mage to god of destruction!" Lapointe then powered up as he grew excited.

Solaseed glared at the former Cardinal intensely as she pulled out her sword and channeled her magic power; she then places a magic symbol on the men behind her, using her breath of bless to increase their magic power. "I hope you boys are ready, cause things are about get real intense!" she said.

"Yeah, we gotta make this final attempt to stop this guy count!" Gildarts said as he powered up too.

"This may very well be our last stand; we cannot afford to fail again! We won't be getting another chance!" Byro said as he focused power into his staff. The three mages stood together before rushing at the dark mage who just smirked and stood ready to take all three of them on with great anticipation.

* * *

Elsewhere, Natsu, Coco, and Elfman were still running through a thin path to where their celestial mage friend was being held; the patterned walls were plain and smooth. The floor below the raised path was green and grid-like with large green cubes sporadically placed throughout. Surges of electricity sparked throughout the chamber. ( **A/N: Yes, I used the description from the Master and the Dragon cause I didn't have a better one! I hope the author is cool with that.** ) "We should be getting close to the center of the Infinity Castle's magic power! It's here somewhere!" Coco said.

"I don't smell Lucy at all!" Natsu said. "I wonder why?"

"It's probably cause she's linked to the Infinity Clock!" Coco replied.

"Hold on!" Natsu said as he continued sniffing. "I think I've got Michelle's scent!"

"Right on! If we follow that it should lead us straight to Lucy!" Elfman said. "I just hope she's still alive!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure Gohan's already there." Coco assured. "With his help we can free Lucy for sure!"

"Oh yeah!" Natsu agreed.

At their destination, Lucy watched weakly as the sixth Oracion continued to swing her sword at the Demi Saiyan; Gohan then blocked her blade with his right arm, snapping it in half before kicking her into a wall. Imitatia stood up again, unfazed as she pulled out another rose sword from her shield. "You're fighting a hopeless battle; you may be stronger than me, but my body does not weaken from your attacks! You'll never defeat me or take my sister away!" Imitatia declared.

"You think so? Well that's where you're wrong Michelle!" Gohan said. "I'm guessing you didn't hear Warren's message right? All I have to do is defeat you to stop the clock and free Lucy!"

"You'll never accomplish that!" Imitatia said.

"Heh! You know, I've fought people who couldn't instantly recover from damage in battle, but they all have one thing in common." Gohan said as he took a stance and cupped his hands together. "Their powers are useless when there's no body to regenerate from! The dead don't recover at all!"

Michelle's eyes expressed surprise from his statement. "You truly think you posses the power to destroy me completely?!" she asked though she knew the answer.

"You've seen what I'm capable of, so you must know I've been holding back!" Gohan replied as he powered up. "I could've done this sooner, but I need to get you away from Lucy so that she wouldn't get caught in the blast."

"No…you wouldn't…" Michelle stuttered.

"Watch me!" Gohan shouted as he concentrated his energy into one spot. "Ka…me…ha…me…" as he chanted, a blue sphere of Ki formed in between his palms; Imitatia held up her shield for defense but her body was shaking. Gohan noticed the fear in her eyes but disregarded it as he prepared to end her life.

"No Gohan…don't…do it," Lucy said softly.

" _Sorry Lucy, but this has to be done."_ Gohan thought before saying to the deceiver "Take a good look at your sister, cause after this… you'll never see her again!" Just as the Son of Goku was about to unleash his attack, he sensed three energy signals coming right their way; at that moment, the Dragon Slayer, the Athlete, and the Take Over mage entered into the room.

"LUCY!" Natsu cried.

"Gohan!" Coco called to the Saiyan.

"Guys, get out of the way!" Gohan warned but it was too late. Imitatia took immediate action as she faced the mages and fired a red energy blast at them. Gohan quickly dispelled his attack and passed in front of his friends; He placed out his hands and caught the Ki blast before redirecting it upwards. The half Saiyan sighed before glancing back at the mages he just saved. "Talk about rotten timing guys, I was just about to finish her." He said.

"Can't you just do it now?" Elfman asked.

"Not going to be easy at this point," Gohan stated as Imitatia stood in front of the steps leading to Lucy.

"What took you so long to beat her anyway?" Natsu asked.

"I was holding back," Gohan replied.

"Well, I'm glad she's still here, cause I got a whole lot of payback to extract from her!" Natsu declared.

"My friends…they made it…they're here." Lucy muttered.

"You're wasting your time because Lucy belongs to me! Turn around and go back to that rotting guildhall!" Imitatia ordered as she held out her rose blade.

"Michelle," Natsu growled.

"If you value your lives, you'll leave her with me!" Michelle said.

"It's you who should back down now because you don't stand a chance in this situation!" Gohan stated. "You're outnumbered and outmatched!"

Michelle closed her as before opening them again "You're right. I didn't want to rely on him, but you leave me no choice!" she said as she raised her flower shield up and it bore the symbol of the six demons. "Rancor, attack now!" Suddenly, a massive green energy blast shot out from the roof and descended towards the Fairies.

"Look out!" Gohan cried as he quickly turned around and used a kiai to blow the others away from the blast. Rancor then dived towards the Saiyan, intending to punch him; Gohan placed one hand over the other and used them to block Rancor's attack. The Z Fighter then powered up and released an energy wave that pushed the Tufflebot away from him. "Great, him again!" Gohan hissed.

"What's the matter Saiyan? Not happy to see an old friend again?" Rancor asked mockingly. "It's about time we settled the score don't you think? This next battle we engage in…will finally end the war between our races once and for all!"

The good guys glared at the bad guys as the two sides prepared for the fight of their lives.

 **A/N: Done! Man, these are getting more tiresome to write and that's cause I spend most of my time on this story now! Alright, now for the battles to commence and to see what new abilities the Fairies will get from having Ki boost their magic power! Stay tuned, cause it's only going to get better, I guarantee it! Keep those reviews going! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!**


End file.
